Whispers in the Dark
by TeeBeMe
Summary: As a child, I didn't believe in all that demon, other world spirits mumbo jumbo BS. I like to think of myself of not being a freakish weirdo who believed in stuff like that. But, I, Xin Hyuuga, have to take back those words. Know why? Cuz' a freakin' demon just fell out of the sky. And he's bent on killing us all. Joy. AU
1. Yeah, I was falling hard

_TeeBeMe: Yep. A new story. Look at me go. This is the first of the four stories I want to work on. Ouran will be the next one to have it's first chapter come out. I don't know when though. Maybe after the Show Goes On isfinished, so maybe sometime this month. _

**Xin: I'm older in this story! Yay, I'm not a teenager anymore. **

_TeeBeMe: You aren't too different though.._

**Xin: Shut up! Anyway, TeeBeMe does not own the Naruto franchise and never will! Just me and the other random OCs that tend to pop out here and there! So enjoy this new one, okay!**

* * *

If you had asked me if something like this was possible, I would've laughed in your face. The whole a demon came out of the sky and his pissed off Daddy wants to kill me cuz' I'm a hindrance to his son thing?

Yeah, I would've thought you were smoking weed or something.

But unfortunately, something like that was possible. How would I know? That hindrance thing I was talking about earlier? Uh, hi. Nice to meet you, I'm the hindrance. It's crazy, I know. I mean, who would have thought? Little ol' me, a hindrance?

Pssh, I'm barely 5'3, I don't think I can hinder a damn thing, let alone a demon.

I mean, sure, I can fight. Don't get me wrong, I'll box your ass like I'm a UFC champion. To a normal human, I'm pretty sure I can take em'. But a demon? Especially a demon prince that's like, bent on mass destruction of the world?

Yeah….um…I don't think so.

But, you know…I think I should back this story up a bit. Start from the beginning _(I know, the beginning always starts out a little boring with these action-packed stories but bear with it) _all the way to where I'm at now. Okay?

Good plan.

* * *

Let's start off with a known fact to my family.

I hate _mornings._

I usually sleep into early to late afternoon. And why wouldn't I, it's not like I had to get up for a job. Dad made sure of that. Now, let me lay out my life for you so you can get the gist of my life.

I was born to a powerful family in the high Japanese society. I have two other sisters, one is currently fourteen years old (and is fuckin' evil) while the other is my twin sister. She and I are both twenty years old.

The two of us had moved out of our parents' lavish mansion when we both turned eighteen. I moved into one of those upscale apartments while she went for a more artsy apartment that was twenty minutes from me.

Dad didn't like the idea of us living on our own and without a job at his company. So at this moment, he pays the rent for my sister and I. But, recently he's agreed to build our own little places of business for us to begin working at.

That's nice, right? For the time being, she and I are sitting on our butts waiting for my bakery (which I think I want to simply name Xinny's,) and her dance studio (which has no name yet) to be completed.

And as you may guess, my lazy ass was used to not doing anything. And the fact that I graduated years ago (my sister, cousin, and I graduated high school rather early and college) allowed me to sleep in pretty damn late.

But on this oh so glorious morning, I just had to get a phone call. A phone call at nine o'clock in the morning. A call that would change everything.

Yep, shit was about to go down.

_End P.O.V_

The sound of the telephone ringing loudly throughout her apartment had her squealing in shock. The sudden noise scared her to the point of her falling out of her bed, bringing her blankets with her.

"What the _fuuuuck_," the woman whined, kicking her feet against her floor. "Maybe if I just sit here for a couple minutes, they'll get the hint and leave me alone…" She mumbled sleepily against the floor.

But the ringing refused to stop. She knew, she _fuckin knew_ that it must be one of her family members calling. They always knew, don't call her cell phone because she turns it off when she sleeps. If you want to get her ass on the phone in the morning, call her home phone.

After several long (and quite annoying) rings, the woman finally pushed herself up and set out to find that damn phone. She finally did find it (in one of the kitchen cabinets..) and grudgingly answer.

"Whaaaat?"

"_Someone is in a distasteful mood." _

"Hanabi? It's like…fuckin ten in the morning. And aren't you supposed to refer to me more respectively?"

"_It's actually nine thirty-three. I see you still can't tell time. And why should I? Father and Mother aren't here to tell me to." _

"Look you little failure. I don't have time to argue back and forth with you, ya little wannabe. I was in the middle of a beautiful dream and you woke me up from it. Now, the fuck do you want?"

"_I'm shocked you only managed to fit one curse word in there. Bravo." _

"Are you trying to irk my face, little sister?"

"_Oh please. I was just calling because Father requested that you come to our country home today." _

"Why? What's the matter?"

"_He just wants to see his two eldest daughters." _

"But at the country house? He barely goes there except for when Mom drags his ass there."

"_Oh, only one curse again? You're getting good."  
_

"Would you shut up? I'll be there around one or two, alright?"

She could hear her sister chuckling before the line went dead. Xin shook her head and tossed her phone over her shoulder, not caring that it landed in the sink. The small woman pouted and dug her finger through her hair, scratching at her scalp.

Xin yawned to herself continuously as she readied herself for the long drive to her parents' country home. If she left at ten-thirty, she'd get there around two, going on three o'clock.

God, she hated mornings.

* * *

To put it simply, he hated his Father.

His sister would reprimand him for that. Hate is a strong word, she'd say. It was strong and it was pretty damn true. Ever since he was a child and after his Mother died, Gaara hated his Father.

And at this moment, standing before his Father, Gaara felt like ripping his throat out.

"Gaara, do you realize you've been chosen?" Shigure asked calmly. The light candles surrounding room caused an eerie shadow to drape ominously over his face. "Chosen for what?" Gaara wondered blandly.

Truthfully, he knew. He just wanted to annoy his Father.

Gaara knew that behind him, his older sister was repressing a heavy sigh while his older brother was grinning and chuckling quietly. "This is not the time to be getting cheeky, boy." Shigure all but snarled at his youngest son.

Gaara only shrugged in response to his Father. "Brat. It has been decided that you will go to Earth and destroy the human race. It was agreed upon by the council that Temari and Kankuro, while they are excellent warriors, do not have it in them to eradicate a disgusting and weak existence such. But you, my boy….you do have it."

Temari, being the natural peacemaker that she was, frowned in disapproval. "Father, I really think you should think this through. What point is there in killing a race of people?" She asked him, stepping forward.

"The humans do no deserve to live any longer. They have polluted their world and only live for themselves and not others. They need to be removed." Shigure scowled at his daughter. "But if you want, you may bring a human or two back with you once your brother is to kill them," He said after a moment's pause.

Gaara scowled, Shigure was always soft and lenient to Temari. Maybe because she was the first born. Or it could be the fact that she greatly resembled their deceased Mother, Karura.

"And if I refuse?" Gaara asked his Father. Either way, he didn't care too much for the human race. Dead or alive, it didn't really affect him at all. But he was no longer like he was a couple of years ago.

At this moment, he had no problem with killing. But he wasn't like before, where he loved the feeling of killing. Not after he encountered the knuckleheaded blond demon from Konohagakure.

Clearly, his Father wouldn't take no for an answer.

Shigure snorted and leaned into his chair. "You, brat, do not have a choice." He smirked at his youngest son and swept his hand out.

Gaara saw black.

Shit, he was on his way to the human world.

* * *

Xin sped down the road. All she could see for miles was just vast green fields. It got boring after awhile. She had gotten sidetracked on her way to see her parents and was running late.

About two hours late. It was now going on five and she knew her parents were pissed. Xin had just gotten off the phone with her Mother. She reassured her worry-wart of a Mother that she was on her way and wasn't dead in a ditch somewhere.

As she drove along, she noticed the sky was beginning to darken. The change in weather caused her to frown. It was supposed to be sunny and beautiful at least until seven or eight o'clock.

The young female spotted a black dot in the sky. "What the hell is that?" She mumbled to herself, opening up her door and climbing out of the car. Xin squinted in order to get a better attempt. "Is that….is something falling from the sky?" She gaped as the black dot hurdled closer and closer towards the ground at an alarming rate. With her eyes trained on the thing, she calculated the distance and gasped.

Whatever the fuck that thing is, it's going to crash into the ground pretty freakin' close to her.

Xin barely had enough time to duck behind her car when the thing slammed into the ground. A strong wave ripped through the area, almost tilting the car over on her. She shrieked and scrambled away from her car, fearing she'd get squished to death.

As the dirt settled, she (dumbly) staggered towards whatever the hell had crash-landed into the Earth. Everything was telling her to get back in the car and speed off to her parents like nothing happened.

However, she couldn't help moving closer to the crater.

Peering over the edge, Xin nearly choked on her spit. In the crater was a freakin' person! Her instincts kicked in and she slid down into the crater to get a better look at the person.

He was breathing, which was a good sign. The man had unruly brick-red hair and thick rings around his eyes. There was a red tattoo on his forehead where his bang parted. He was wearing old red robes.

"Holy shit." She knelt down beside him and checked for a pulse. She gasped when she actually found one. He fell out of the sky, slammed into the Earth and was still alive. No fuckin' way.

Xin reached towards his face but stopped cold and nearly screamed when his eyes slid open in this creepy way that just screamed 'I'm going to kill you now.' His hand shot out and grabbed onto her wrist in a bone-crushing grip. Xin gritted her teeth at the sheer pain of his grip. He began speaking to her but she couldn't make any sense out of it.

His eyes narrowed once he realized she didn't have a clue at what he was saying. "Where am I and who the hell are you?" He snarled into his face, his sky-blue eyes gleaming murderously. "Uh…you're in the country side of Tokyo…I'm just some random girl and you're reeeally hurting my wrist. So if you'd just let go, that'd be great." She babbled quickly, tugging her hand.

When the sky-man made no move to release her, she twisted her arm in a weird way that forced him to lose his grip. For a moment, he looked surprised, but that expression melted away into an annoyed.

"That bastard…when I return, I'm going to rip out his throat…" He snarled, more to himself than to Xin. "Um…I'm sorry to interrupt your murderous mumbling…but…you just fell. Out of the sky. From nowhere. And you're alive. Do you mind explaining?" Xin suddenly asked, loudly and rudely.

"I have no intention of explaining to you, stupid girl," He snarled at her, standing up on shaky feet. "I've simply come to destroy your disgusting race. Once I'm finished, I'll be returning to where I come from." It took her a couple of minutes to process what he was saying. "Whoa! Hold on a minute, you psycho. Destroy my race? Who the fuck are you, Hitler? You can't destroy a race. And who the hell are you to be calling my race disgusting or me stupid? I'll have you know I'm a fuckin' genius!" She snapped at him, baring her teeth.

The man grabbed her by the face, an attempt to shut her up, she was sure. "And I'll have you know that I'm a demonic prince, sent to wipe out your weak race." He snapped into her face.

Xin scowled at him, lavender eyes hardening. "A demon? Nee, I always thought demons were big and ugly with two long horns coming from their head. And don't they usually have red skin? And they have really big teeth…" Xin mumbled to herself, pulling her face from his hand.

Gaara was completely caught off guard when she grabbed him by his face and pried his mouth open. "Ehh….you don't really have sharp teeth like them," Xin let go of his mouth and began messing with his hair. "I don't see where horns could be….and your hair isn't even that messy." Xin continued to mumble. She leaned away with her arms folded across her chest. "You don't look like a demon," Xin eyed him with a raised eyebrow.

"You idiot. That's an oni. There are more demons other than an oni demon," Gaara rolled his eyes. "Well, what the hell kind of demon are you then?" Xin twisted up her lips as this so called demon.

"If you want to get critical about it. A tanuki yokai." Gaara sighed, growing impatient with this odd young woman. "A yokai, hm? How do I know you aren't lying?" Xin huffed, leaning forward into his face.

"I just fell from the sky. Crashed into the ground. And I'm fine." Gaara folded his arms across his chest. "Either way, I have no time for this. You shall be the first one to perish," His eyes narrowed dangerously.

For some reason, Xin didn't think he was kidding. So, she did the only thing that came to mind. She ran. Well…more like scrambled out of that crater. But it didn't matter, as she darted to her car, the demon blurred out from the hole in the ground and landed in front of her.

Xin could only gasp when his hand found its way around her neck and she found herself on her back, staring up at him. She started to panic. This maniac was going to freakin' kill her! Holy shit, holy shit. She was going to die. She wasn't ready to die! Dammit, Neji still owed her fifty dollars for that bet he lost. Fuck, fuck. Think. Think!

"W-Wait…" She wheezed out, struggling to breathe. "Begging for your life? Pathetic," Gaara snorted, his face remaining blank. "U-Uh….not exactly," Xin continued to wheeze out, her face turning a different color.

"Oh?" Gaara loosened his hold on her throat, but only enough so that she could talk. "More like…ah…bargain? Yeah. Bargain." Xin sunk her nails in his wrist in an attempt for his hold to loosen even more. But he didn't falter.

"What kind of bargain?"

"You…you don't seem too excited to kill the human race. Soo…I'm guessing someone sent you to do it?" Xin raised her eyebrows. When he didn't answer, she continued speaking. "What if I were to…entertain you. And if you become bored of me, then you can do what you'd like…" Xin slowly suggested, praying to whomever that this demon took her bargain.

"Why are you willing to go through lengths for these humans? You understand that it would be your entire fault should I become bored and carry out my point for being here, yes?"

Xin bit her bottom lip, concentrating on her next answer. "Not everyone deserves to die because of mistakes others have caused. And if there's a possibility that I can save those people who are innocent, then I'll do it."

Gaara frowned deeply, boring into her eyes. Her eyes were different. They were big and curious. Her entire demeanor was different, he could just tell. The little girl was a weird little human. Risking everything for an unworthy civilization?

Pretty gutsy.

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

He vanished after that. With a smirk, I heard him say 'deal' and then he just faded away. I thought it was pretty creepy. I also thought he would be a damn good stalker with a trick like that. But I shook those thoughts away. I basically just made a deal with the devil. Well…demon…er…whatever. How the hell was I going to survive through this? I mean, I'm not a punk or anything.

But the fate of the world is on my shoulders. Literally.

Ha, I've always wanted to say that.

Anyways, focus, Xin. I took one last look around the now empty field before sliding back into my car. What the hell had I gotten myself into?

Of course, as soon as I walked through the front door I was attacked by my Mother in bone-crushing hug. I don't know how, but I managed to convince her that I was fine and I ran into a little car trouble. She was still a worry-wort after all this time.

Dad greeted me in a formal way, which was no surprise. Hanabi gave me a sneer (which made me pluck the living shit out of her forehead) and I received a friendly hug from my twin, Hinata. "Xin? What happened?" Hinata asked me as I looked myself over in the mirror. "What are you talking about?" I mumbled, washing my face. "Something is different," Hinata frowned, tilting her head into the doorframe.

My sister always had this proper way of speaking and shit like that. Obviously you can see the difference between she and I. She's all proper and ladylike while I'm…more…I don't know, rude and not ladylike?

"Different how?" I asked tonelessly. "You seem more paranoid," Hinata told me, looking at me with this worried look in her eyes. "You've been looking over your shoulder all night. And you've been staring out the window a lot." Hinata tapped her chin in thought.

"Xin…are you in some kind of trouble?"

You would not believe the trouble I'm in…

"With the Yakuza?"

I snorted in humor. If only I could've been that lucky.

"Believe me, sis. I am not in trouble with the Yakuza. You don't have to worry about that," I laughed, scratching at my scalp. "Then what's the problem?" Hinata was not letting up on this.

"Nothing…well….do you believe in the whole demon thing?" I asked slowly, not looking at her. "Like when we were little and Mom would tell us stories about the tengu demons or the oni demons, do you think it's possible that they exist?"

Hinata stared at me for a long time. I guess she was thinking it over? I dunno. It sounded pretty crazy, you know? Demons and what-not running around. Yeah, it did sound pretty crazy. I mean, I just encountered and bargained with a demon and I still can't believe it.

"Oi," Hanabi interrupted the two us, appearing next to Hinata. Sometimes I wondered how it was possible that the three of us were related. I mean, Hinata was all shy and polite, I was loud and brash, and Hanabi was cocky and snide.

It's amazing we didn't kill each other growing up. We were pretty damn close though.

"It's time to eat. Come on," Hanabi motioned for us to follow. Hinata glanced at our retreating sister before looking back at me. She squinted at me carefully. "We'll talk about this later," She decided after a pause before walking after my sister.

I only sighed. I felt like I was being watched.

Or maybe that was just the paranoia talking.

* * *

I made it all the way home without anyone falling out of the sky. It was a miracle. Although Mom insisted that we stay the night, Hinata and I decided we should get back home. I don't know what Hinata's reasoning for not staying was, but I didn't want that crazy demon falling out of the sky near my parent's home. So I decided it was best for me to get home before that psycho made another appearance.

By the time I got back to my humble (…humble…sure) home, it was going on one in the morning. Huffing in annoyance, I dug around in my pockets for key. Why is it that when I need my freakin' keys, they're impossible to find?

Just as I was about to violently stab my key into the lock and step into my apartment, this fucker appeared practically in my face out of nowhere. I let out (a girly) scream and jabbed forward to punch that fucker in his freakin' demon face.

I wasn't kidding when I said I'll box your ass like a UFC champ.

Unfortunately, being a demon meant you had super speed or some shit cuz' he moved to the side. "Nice punch," He remarked blandly. It felt like my heart was about to catapult itself straight out of my chest. What kind of person does this? Oh wait, he's not a person. He's a stupid demon with his stupid vanishing acts and what-not.

"Kami-Sama…what the hell. The fuck are you doing here?" Barring my teeth, I pushed past him into my home. "You said you would entertain me," He reminded me with a shrug. I only gaped at him. Are ya kidding me? What the fuck is wrong with this lunatic?

"It's like….one in the morning. Are you fuckin' crazy?" I snapped at him, kicking off my shoes. The demon followed me in, without even being asked to. How rude! He didn't even ask to come in! I thought demons weren't allowed in a person's home unless they were invited in.

Wait….or was that ghosts?

"You made a deal. Now honor it," his redheaded ass barked at me as I shrugged out of my jacket and threw it somewhere. "Like I said, it's one in the morning. We'll get started on this deal thing tomorrow afternoon. Let me get some sleep," I yawned widely, padding to my bedroom.

"Weak woman." He snorted as I collapsed into my lovely, soft and large bed. Burying my face into the pillow, I snorted. The fucker could call me anything he wanted to, I was still going to get some sleep. So nice, sweet, sweet sleep.

So stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Gaara's P.O.V

The woman was taking far too long to awaken on her own. So I decided to wake her up. Into her room I went and stood over her slumbering form. This woman was stupid. She easily slept away while allowing a demon into her home?

I could easily kill her.

But obviously she wasn't too concerned about dying. She was busy trying to sleep the morning away. Stupid human. Temari would suggest that she simply has too much trust in a person….but I think she's just stupid. Stupid human.

I slid my fingers under her sleeping cot and jerked it up. The woman let out a squawk from underneath the cot as it landed on top of her on the floor. I watched as the cot began to move and then she popped out from beneath it. She didn't look too pleased.

Like I cared.

"The fuck is your damn problem?" She demanded once she finally got to her feet. It was funny; she thought she was something to be scared of. She certainly had a mouth on her though.

Instead of answering her, I folded my arms across my chest. The little woman scowled and decided to fix her bed. "All I wanted was some sleep. But noooo. Couldn't get any damn sleep yesterday and I can't get any sleep now."

She continued to mumble to herself as she fixed her bed, throwing the blankets and pillows back on it. Hands on her hips, she attempted to stare me down. But fearing a little human was not something I planned on doing. After awhile she gave up and left her room. "I'm going to cook food." She called over her shoulder with a huff. I snorted and found her in the kitchen, doing things with her human food.

She busied herself with cooking but that didn't stop her from speaking. "So, can I ask a question?" The woman asked slowly. I rolled my eyes, leaning against the wall. She peeked over her shoulder at me. Probably realizing that I wasn't going to answer a stupid question such as that, she opened her big mouth.

"Why do you want to kill all humans?"

I didn't answer her at first. Should I even bother answering her? Maybe not. "I mean, if you're going to kill my race…you might as well tell me why," the little woman hummed out with a shrug. It bothered me that she acted so relaxed and casual in my presence.

Again, I rolled my eyes. "Little do I care for the human race. My Father and the council decided that the humans are ungrateful slobs that should be killed off, that is why, woman." I explained shortly. The woman paused and spun around to face me. "First…who the hell talks like that? And two, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" She snapped at me. "And my name isn't 'woman', you idiot! My name is Xin!"

Like I cared what her name was. Stupid girl. "I can understand you guys are stronger than us and all that jazz, but you aren't Gods. You can't just go around deciding to eradicate weaker races. What's next? Kill all puppies and kittens?"

Her fury was entertaining.

"Fuck is wrong with your father and this council?" She continued to hiss and spit at me. "You can't just play with humans like we're toys. You can't throw us away whenever you want, you know. Your Dad is a prick and your council is a bunch of dickheads."

The woman, or Xin (I had no intention of letting her know that I knew her name) took a couple of minutes to calm her anger. "Forget it. What's your name anyway, demon?" Xin asked me, her voice taking on a much lighter tone. Was there really a point in letting her know my name? I didn't see the point of it. She would be the first one to die when I killed them all. Humans were far too trusting. And stupid. They were extremely stupid.

"Gaara."

Shit, I didn't really plan on telling her. I was going to ignore her but she turned those weakling little eyes on me. Was this woman a sorceress? Were her eyes magical?

"Gaara? Nice to meet you, Gaara. Would you like some eggs?"

Bipolar bitch.


	2. Creatures lie here

_TeeBeMe: Yep, chapter two is out. I don't intend for this to be a long story. Just something to help me with my writers block. _

**Xin: She's been having a little trouble with finishing chapter fourteen to The Show Goes On. And, she's stuck somewhere in her Ouran story as well. **

_TeeBeMe: Yes, boohoo for me. So, for now…just enjoy this story, yes? _

**Xin: TeeBeMe does not own the Naruto franchise. Just the OCs that run around every now and then.**

* * *

I thought long and hard about my special predicament. Well, is five to ten minutes considered a long time to think? No, you don't think so? Well, I do. And who's running this retarded fairy-tale? Uh, that would be me. So what I say goes.

Yep, I'm on some boss type of shit.

Anyway, as I was saying. I thought long and hard about this and you know what I decided? I shouldn't let this little _(psychotic) _spoiled demon prince mess up my regular grind. So what was I gonna do?

I'm gonna continue living my life like before.

You know, just kind of ignore the fact that he was a demon. How hard could that be? I mean, he looked like a human. A freakishly gorgeous _(don't tell him I said that) _human. Maybe I could pass him off as a model if anyone asked.

So with that in mind, I sat at front of my door and pulled on my sneakers, lacing them up. Gaara glanced at me from the largest window in the living room. I don't what the hell is it about windows, but he's been standing there since breakfast.

"Where are you going, woman?" He asked me in a snide voice. I felt like smacking the living shit out of him. What was so hard about my name? Was it really too difficult to say 'Xin'? I mean, sure, it's a more Chinese-based name instead of Japanese, but it wasn't that damn hard!

"I'm going to boxing practice," I sighed heavily, standing up with a scowl. I didn't compete in boxing matches anymore, but I still kept up on the practice. It keeps me in shape. You think this little toned tummy just appears overnight? I don't think so.

"Boxing practice?" He snorted, shoving his hands into his robes. Oh yeah, we were going to have to talk about his weird fashion sense. No one but senior citizens wear robes anymore. I'm sorry, I refuse to let someone be in my presence for too long if they have no fashion sense.

"Weak humans should stay home and cook. Don't you have a mate?" He asked me, staring me down as I grabbed my phone and keys. "First, I am not weak. And two, mate? What the fuck, what am I? An animal? The term is boyfriend or husband you freak."

Usually, I didn't like to call people a freak. It's a harsh word and my sisters and I suffered from being called freaks when we were growing up. Now that Hinata and I are grown, people consider our eyes quite beautiful. But when we were kids, the other children would call us freaks.

I mean, who else do you know that has lavender eyes and no pupils?

No one outside the Hyuuga family, right? G'head, name a person with eyes like mine. I'll wait. Times up. Any takers? Oh, no? Uh, yeah. I didn't think so.

Gaara didn't seem to be affected by my name calling and that pissed me off. He could've at least pretended that insult had hurt him. Jeez. This guy was like made of rock. I had been trying all morning to get him to show another emotion beside annoyance.

But this fucker wouldn't crack.

Impressive, he was.

"Well from the lack of this 'boyfriend' or 'husband', I'm assuming you have none. What is your age? Twenty, maybe? How sad. Twenty and already an old maid. Females in the demon realm would have been married since they were fourteen." He scoffed at me, folding his arms across his burly chest.

Was he trying to take shots at my lack of a love life?

Oh hell no. No he didn't.

I was going to end up bitch slapping him, I swear. Look, I'm usually a goof-off and everything and I like to be relaxed about everything. But goddamn! Were all demons this freakin' rude?

"I'm going to put you in a box and throw you in the ocean." I growled at him in annoyance. Gaara snorted at me. Yep, I was going to bitch slap him. The pimp hand is strong, I'm gonna have to put this bitch back in his place. "Was that a pathetic attempt to place fear in my heart?" He asked in this dead-ass tone. God, I was going to rip his hair out of his head. "Oh, fuck off. I'm leaving. Don't break my house. Matter of fact, stay your demonic ass right at the spot. Got it? Good."

I slammed the door shut before he could retort back.

* * *

The only person at the gym when I got there was my old trainer, Jerry. He was a champion boxer from America but had retired and decided to move to Japan to live the rest of his life peacefully.

When I was about ten or eleven, I got into a fight right outside of Jerry's gym. After landing one solid punch on that annoying ass boy who had been teasing my sister, Jerry had witnessed it. I thought he was going to call my parents and rat me out that I had been fighting. But to my surprise, he told me he was impressed and wanted to train me. Now see, growing up, I had three main hobbies.

Cooking, singing, and fighting.

Cooking and singing were nice and fun and all that good crap, but it couldn't release my anger at the world like fighting would. The emotion I felt when I cracked someone's jaw and watched them go down was the best way to release my anger.

And Jerry helped mold my erratic fighting to swift boxing.

I hate to brag and stuff, but I was pretty damn good at boxing too. My parents frowned upon it, yeah. But that didn't mean shit to me. I competed in boxing matches and UFC fights and conquered it.

But after six or five years of boxing, I realized I couldn't make this a career. I mean, I could if I wanted to but it wasn't a good choice for a Hyuuga. So I decided to please my parents by shelving my boxing gloves and going to college when I turned fifteen or sixteen.

But that didn't mean I would stop it all together. I just didn't compete anymore. They never said anything about doing it for exercise.

"Decided to show up after canceling yesterday?" Jerry asked in amusement, his scruffy mustache twitching as he spoke. I grinned at him as I started to tape up my left hand. He would help me with my right hand, like he always did.

"I told ya, Jer. I had some family business to attend to. Don't take it personal," I chuckled as he finished taping my other hand up and I slid my gloves on. Making sure they were in place, I stood up. "Let's get this shit going," I said with a frown. I was ready to vent my anger out already.

I knocked my gloved fists together and stepped into the ring.

* * *

I let out a heavy breath as I collapsed on the stool. "I needed that workout," I grinned up at Jerry's back, rubbing my knuckles. "Hey, knucklehead," He called to me from his spot from the window.

"Whattya want, old head?" I called to, getting up to use the gym's shower. I loved boxing, I did. But I couldn't stand how sweaty I got after it. I hated when I got sweaty. I hated sweat in general. It was purely disgusting.

"Did you drive here?"

I cursed under my breath. Jerry was one of those 'eco-friendly' freaks _(I know I'm calling him a freak when I said I don't like the word, but I'm only calling him a freak out of pure friendliness) _that wanted people to walk everywhere. I may be fit and in shape, but I loved driving. Yep, I was lazy. And Jerry hated my laziness. But he could kiss my ass. There was no way I was walking twenty minutes from my house to here. I don't care. I refuse.

"Maybe?" I put a questioning tone on, wanting to know how he was going to react. "Good," He said slowly, still looking outside. "Good?" I frowned. Was I hearing correctly? Was he actually saying good that I drove here? "There's been this guy sitting outside across the street since you got here. He looks a little shady. I don't want you walking alone outside if there's a chance you'll be followed," Jerry told me, glancing at me.

A guy? Oh…please, please Kami-Sama…don't let it be who I think it is.

"What's the color of his hair?"

"Red."

_Shit._

"Can you see the color of his eyes?"

"They look sky-blue."

_Nooo. _

"What's he wearing?"

"Fire-red robes? It's weird."

_Fuuuuck. _

I slapped my forehead and hurried over to Jerry to peer out of the window. Yep. Sure enough, there was that crazy demon, Gaara. He was sitting on the old bench directly across from my car and the building, staring into the window. At me.

Not creepy at all.

I hope you can detect sarcasm. I'll be using a lot of it.

"Don't worry," I sighed heavily. "I know him," I waved it off and began to retreat to the bathroom to get my shower started. The faster I get out of here, the faster Gaara will get his crazy ass back into my house.

"Is he another one of your ex boyfriends? Or your sister's?" Jerry called after me. Hah. Don't I wish I was just dealing with one of my obsessive ex boyfriends or Hinata's clingy ex boyfriends.

But nope. Can't be that lucky, can I?

* * *

I hurried outside after my shower, not even caring that my hair wasn't fully dried yet. Dashing across the street, I met him just as he was standing up. Before I actually said anything, I glanced around the streets to make sure no one was watching.

"What are you doing here? I told you to stay at the freakin' window! Does this look like a damn window to you?" I started to snap, waving my hands in the vicinity. The stuck-up fucker stared at me with no expression before grabbing my arms and forcing them down.

With his hands around my arms, they felt weird. Like, there was a funny spark coming from his hands and going to my arms. Not liking that feeling, I snatched my arms away and folded them across my chest.

"Don't order me around, you weakling," He sneered down at me. I felt like a vessel in my face was about to buss. What the fuck was with him? Did shit just go in one ear and come out the next?

"What is the matter with you?"

"You."

"You need Jesus in ya' life."

Gaara glared down at me but I wasn't going to back down. Just because he was a big bad demon didn't mean I was just going to bow and bend to his every whim and glare. He's got the game fucked up.

I don't know if he knew who Jesus was cuz' he simply stared down at me. I sighed heavily and massaged my temples. We were going to have to set some ground rules.

"Whatever. Let's just go home."

Funny…when did it become his home, also?

* * *

_Gaara's P.O.V_

The wench made it back to her home by herself in that big thing with the four wheels. She stepped into the room and scowled at me. I was going to have to tell her at some point that she simply was not frightening.

"Oi, Gaara." She called gruffly, kicking off her sneakers. I didn't bother answering her. What was the point? She was going to march her dwarf ass over to me and snap at me for some reason or another.

Her annoyance and anger was quite amusing.

"Okay, look here, buddy. We need to set some rules out." She began to say, shoving her finger into my chest. "First things first: My name is Unxinnu. I prefer Xin. Xin. Say it with me, _Xiiiiin." _She stretched her name out for emphasis.

"Two, see how many fingers I'm holding up? Two. Number two: Stop fuckin' speaking like that, dammit! This is the 21st century. Learn our language, god!" She continued to snap at me. Learn her language. I've heard how these humans speak. They sound like they're all retarded.

"Three. Are ya keeping up with me? Number three: Do not follow me around like that. And if you are, be more discreet about it! You look like a stalker! And that vanishing act you tend to do? Yeah, um, not helping."

"Four. Am I going to fast? Nah, probably not. You are a demon and all, right? Number four: Stop taking every chance to insult me or the human race. I swear, it's like every other thing that comes out of your mouth is an insult. What is it with you and the constant insults?"

I folded my arms across my chest and simply stared at her. Maybe she would talk so much, she'd stop breathing and just die. Bah, luck wasn't on my side. Besides, if she died, then I would have to go and kill the rest of the humans.

And then I would return home and suffer and do nothing.

There was something odd about this crazy human. For one, she had an infinite amount of oxygen. She kept babbling on and on about rules. But there was something just off about her. Her eyes, they seemed like they knew things someone her age shouldn't know. Like underneath her loud personality was a much older and smarter soul. Maybe she had been someone important in her past life.

She nearly poked my eye out. Had I not moved at the last second, my eyeball would probably be stuck to her fingernail. Crazy little midget, she moved quicker than most humans. I found that odd too.

The bipolar elf snapped her fingers in my face. "Are you even listening to me?" She huffed in my face. How dare this disgusting human snap at me as if I'm some sort of mongrel?

"You were ignoring me, weren't you? Ugh, you're just like any other guy. Anyway, rule ten. Look here, you've been in my house for a week and you still don't knock. I don't know what your parents taught you, but my parents told me to knock before entering. So if I'm in the bathroom, knock goddammit!"

I snorted. "My father is a power-hungry bastard and my Mother is dead." Folding my arms across my chest, I waited for a reaction. Her eyebrows drew together and she twisted her lips up but then her expression shifted back to annoyance.

"Someone should've taught you some manners then," She continued to huff with her hands propped on her hips. I rolled my eyes at her statement. "Stupid human," I spat down at her.

Xin only slapped her forehead.

End P.O.V

* * *

Unlike most demons, Naruto actually liked humans. He didn't understand why they were so hated amongst the demon race. Well sure, they were a weaker race and were sinful creatures, that was all true.

But they were _humans. _They didn't know any better.

It was a somewhat unspoken rule that the demon realm do not interfere with the human world. He remembered Tsunade mumbling about how 'unfair' it would be to the humans if the demons dropped in on them in their world.

They wouldn't stand a chance.

Every now and then Naruto would take a trip to the human world. Not to cause havoc or anything. But to simply watch the humans. It was quite amusing, actually. They were an amusingly pathetic bunch.

But he still liked them.

Specifically one. She was different from most of the human race. Her soul, mind and body was still pure from the world. She was a pale little thing with big eyes the color of pearls with a lavender tint to them.

Naruto almost felt bad for the innocent faced human. It was too easy for other people to take advantage on the poor soul. She had the face of a newborn baby rabbit or something along those lines.

It was almost on a daily basis that people took her kindness for granted. Naruto was pretty sure she didn't have it in her to say 'no' to people. She'd end up getting herself raped one day, he was sure.

The only time when people didn't take advantage of her was when she had much sassier sister around her. Naruto could tell the difference between the two identical women every time he spotted them together.

Her sister, although she did have a pure soul, was meant to be a demon. That much he was sure of. Her sister was loud, brash and rude. She swore like a devil too. But she kept all those evil people away from the kind one.

Naruto was pretty sure the kind one's name was Hinata. Yes, he sure the evil one had called her that before. He had taken quite a liken to the Hinata woman and had even interacted with her a couple of times. He wondered if she remembered him at all.

Naruto's musings were cut short when the doors to his chambers suddenly burst open and in stormed his childhood friend, Sakura. Her light green eyes zeroed in on him and she moved closer to him until she was standing over him.

"Is there something wrong, Sakura?" He asked, biting into the red apple he had stolen from the kitchen when he came in from sparring. "Have you heard of Shigure's recent plan?" Sakura asked carefully.

"Shigure? Gaara's father? No, I haven't heard anything recently. Why?" Naruto looked up at her, not really caring to know at this moment. Gaara's Father was crazy, Naruto was convinced. The man was too crazy for power.

It kind of reminded him of how Sasuke used to be.

But his best friend wasn't crazy. He was slowly recuperating from his spiral into insanity and he was doing quite well, Naruto had to give him that.

"He…sent Gaara to the human world…"

"The human world? Gaara. Why would he do that?"

"Apparently Shigure decided it's time to eradicate the human race."

"….He did what…?"

"You heard me, Naruto. He sent Gaara to wipe out the humans."

Fuck.

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

You ever get that feeling when something is about to come along and it's going to completely fuck shit up? Like, it'll make a situation worse? I suddenly got that feeling the following afternoon after I had set some ground rules down for Gaara.

Speaking of the fucker, I'm not exactly sure what I was doing to keep him from killing us all. I mean, I kind of just carried on with my life. I got into several arguments with him over the course of the day. But I did everything _(or, at least attempted to) _I would normally do.

But anyway, back to the present. I had the weird feeling in my stomach while I was sitting there reading my little book. I just wanted a normal life, you know? I couldn't even get through a book. Someone knocked on my door, which I found weird. I hadn't gotten any buzz for the past few days. I was starting to wonder if it had anything to do with the intimidating redhead that was posted at my window.

I snapped the book shut at the same time I noticed Gaara seemed to tense. "What's the matter with you? Never heard the sound of someone actually knocking?" Rolling my eyes, I pushed myself up to answer my door. I was completely surprised when he followed me to the door. What was wrong with him? It was probably just some delivery guy or something. Nothing too important. He was acting all weird for nothing.

Opening my door, I was met with a strange sight. It was a tall guy, the same height as Gaara. He had golden _(it wasn't blond or yellow, it was fuckin' __**golden**__) _spiky hair that was jutting out everywhere. And don't even get me started on his eyes. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, he had gorgeous sparkling ocean-blue eyes. The thing that set alarms off in my head about him _(besides how freakin' gorgeous he was)_ was those freakin' robes he was wearing.

He was a freakin' demon.

I guess these two had beef or whatever because as soon as I was done grilling the shit out of him, he literally flew by me and tackled Gaara to my living room floor. Me, being me turned to stare at the wrestling demons on the floor and slowly closed my door before anyone could see the scuffle.

Hoping they didn't break anything, I stepped around them to get to my kitchen. I dug around in the cabinets and pulled out a spray bottle. I dumped out the cleaning liquid _(wouldn't want to blind them…or maybe I would, who knows) _and filled it up with water.

Returning to the fight, I started to mercilessly spray them with water. They obviously didn't like that because they instantly stopped beating the shit out of each other and began to shout at me to stop spraying them with water.

"What is the meaning of this, wench?" Gaara snapped at me. He stood up first, leaving the blond one of the floor to wipe the water off his face. My redheaded guest grabbed the spray bottle with one hand and grabbed me by my arm with the other hand.

That tingling feeling was back again. I didn't jerk away this time. Instead I glared up at him. "You're questioning me on why I stopped two demons from fighting in my house?" My voice was dry, I could hear it.

"How did you know I was a demon?" The blond one asked, finally standing up off the floor to stare me down. I titled my head back to look him in the eye. "Why else would you tackle him out of nowhere?" I asked dryly, I noticed Gaara still had a firm grip on my arm.

The blond God of sexiness blinked, thinking it over before smiling brightly at me. He then climbed to his feet and I felt like a freakin' dwarf between the two demons. Goddamn, they were both tall. And then there's my little short ass.

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing here and why did you attack me?" Gaara growled overtop my head. Was he trying to rub it in my face that I was a mere midget compared to these two?

"I'm here to stop you, you crazy bastard!" Naruto suddenly shouted, pointing a finger in Gaara's face. "This woman, who is she? Is she your harlot?" He asked, motioning to me blatantly. Harlot. What the hell was that? Wait….that was like a biblical term for whore, wasn't it? Oh, hell no. Did he just call me a whore? In my own home? He seriously just accused me of being Gaara's harlot.

I turned to face him, even with Gaara still holding on to my arm. "Did you just seriously call me a harlot? Listen, you freakish abomination. I don't appreciate you starting fights in my house and then accusing me of being a whore. I'm a lady, goddammit. Show some fuckin' class and treat me with some damn respect before I throw holy water on your ass or something!"

I was stabbing Naruto in the chest by the time I finished snapping on his ass. How dare he? What was with these freakin' demons and just saying whatever came to their mind? Didn't they actually stop to think _'hey. This might be a bad thing to say, demon-brain.'._

Obviously not.

I was quite surprised when Gaara pulled me closer to his body. "She's not my whore, Naruto. Don't be an idiot," He sighed through his mouth, ruffling the back of my hair. "Yeah, don't be stupid." I mumbled under my breath.

"Any why are you accusing me of being crazy? What are you trying to stop me from doing?" Gaara asked as I glared holes into Naruto's fuckin' eyes. Let's see how pretty those fuckin' eyes will be after I burn a freakin' fire into them.

"Sakura told me about what your Father sent you here for. _Oh, yes_. She told me. You're fuckin out of your mind for following your Dad's orders. We're not supposed to kill the human race," Naruto flapped his arms around like a crazy bird and I snorted into my hand. Some demon he was turning out to be.

"Naruto, may I ask you a question."

"Sure."

"That was a question you just asked."

"Shut up, human."

_Ugh. I have a name. _

"Did Sakura tell you how long I've been down here?"

"I think she said it was a month or something."

"It's been a month. How fast do you think I could kill the humans?"

"Probably in the blink of their little eye."

"Right, keep up Naruto. If I can kill the humans that quickly, why have I allowed so much time to go by already?"

Naruto looked up in thought. Jeez, don't tell me he really was retarded. I guess the blond stereotype could even apply to guys now. Demons, even. I titled my heard up to stare at Gaara, he didn't seem too phased by Naruto's stupidity.

Maybe he was used to this?

"I don't know, why?" Naruto finally asked after he burnt his wee-little brain out. Poor thing, maybe I should get him a glass of water. All that thinking must've tired the poor thing out.

Idiot.

"Because I have decided not to kill them, maybe?" Gaara tried to help the blond out. Naruto's blond eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Well, why did you decide that?" He asked slowly. "I've made a bet with this human girl. If she can keep me entertained for some time, I won't kill her pathetic human race. However, if I should become bored…I'll kill them." Gaara told him, glancing down at me.

"My name is Xin," I huffed out. Just in case, Naruto was not going to go around calling me 'human' or 'woman' or 'girl'. He seemed a little bit more friendly and stupid. Maybe telling him early on, he won't call me that.

"You must be a pretty amazing woman, Xin. To keep him entertained for almost two weeks, that's pretty amazing," Naruto said thoughtfully. I noticed him glance at Gaara's hand that was still clasped around my arm. Not wanting him to get any ideas, I jerked my arm out of his grasp.

It's not like I liked his hand on me…or anything.

* * *

Somehow, I ended up with two demons living in my house. After Gaara cleared things up with his demonic friend from the demon realm, Naruto decided to stay here. He claimed he was staying to keep an eye on Gaara. But I doubted that.

You know what I think it is? I think neither of them _want _to go back to the demon realm. I don't know why they wouldn't want to go back. But c'mon. It's very unlikely for two powerful demons to want to stay around a bunch of weak humans.

I actually like Naruto hanging around. He was a lot more friendly and optimistic than a certain redheaded bastard (_who still does not understand the concept of fuckin' __**knocking**__). _

And Naruto was always telling me stories of the demon realm. It seemed like such an exciting place to go to. But each time he finished a story, he'd tell me the same thing. _"It sounds exciting, I know. But remember. It's no place for a little human such as you." _

But I was still curious about it.

One night, after Naruto had dozed off on my couch, I glanced at Gaara. He was standing at my large windows, like he did most of the time. I frowned and untangled myself from Naruto's limbs, he seemed to like using me as a pillow.

I moved soundlessly to the window seal, but he already knows I'm coming before I'm anywhere near close. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye but did not bark at me not to come near him, so I slinked on. Quietly, I settled on the window sill and peer out into the black night. I didn't understand what the hell he was staring at. All I could see were the stars and the moon shining brightly.

"All you ever do is stand here. What're you looking at?" My voice came out softly. I don't know, maybe I didn't want to wake sleeping beauty back there? Naruto snorted in his sleep behind us. Sleeping beauty…right. "Are you just thinking about things and there happened to be a window in front of you?" I pressed on, tapping my bare thigh. Gaara was probably wondering why I was making such an effort to talk to him. Usually I just curse him out or snap on him.

Naruto and I got along well. We just met and we got along well. He sometimes teased me about being a little human and I did the same for him being a pigheaded demon. There was no bad blood between us and we could talk about anything.

So, why couldn't I do that with Mr. Grumpy?

"The stars and the moon," He finally said as I was in the middle of my musings. I started to tap my fingers against my thigh. "You like them?" I raised my eyebrows. I wouldn't think that stargazing was something Gaara liked. "They aren't as clear in the demon realm," Gaara answered me. I blinked in surprise. Was he actually making an effort to keep a conversation with me? Haha, I'm starting to crack his stupid armor. Booyah bitches.

"Are you actually pleased that I'm speaking to you?" Gaara asked me slowly, causing me to blink up at him. What the fuck. How'd he know? Oh my _God_, could he fuckin' _read_ minds?

_Holy shiiiiiit. _

If he could, I was fucked. All those times I thought about how freakin' hot he was? Fuck, fuck, fuck. Jesus, could he read my thoughts? Oh my God. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shiiiiiit.

"I can't read your mind, human." He cut my inner freak-out short. I paused during it and scratched at my scalp. "If you can't read minds, how'd you know I was thinking that you could?" I asked slowly, staring up at him. "I just know." Gaara looked down at me. I shifted under his powerful gaze. Goddamn, this demon was like sex on legs. God, why. Why couldn't have Gaara been an ugly ogre or something?

He leaned towards me and I backed away, slightly scared that he was going to rip my throat out. I didn't want to die today, thank you. Although I had no idea why he would want to kill me right now.

Gaara grabbed me by my face _(what's with him and grabbing me?) _and pulled me closer. I kind of freaked out on the inside again. What was he going to do? Scare the living shit out of me? Most likely.

He placed his lips against my forehead and smirked. "Silly human," He chuckled before getting up and sauntering away. I stared wide-eyed as he vanished into the darkness of my home. I don't know if he was still in my house or if he left, but that didn't matter.

Was that a goodnight kiss?

* * *

Shigure stared long and hard at his remaining children. Temari bowed her head down and Kankuro shifted awkwardly under his Father's gaze. Shigure was furious. Nearly a month had gone by and the human race had not been destroyed yet.

What the fuck was his son doing?

"Temari," Shigure barked, ignoring her flinch. "Have you been keeping watch over the brat?" Shigure asked coldly with a narrow of his eyes. He was going to kill the shit out of his youngest son. "I've glanced down at him every now and then," Temari mumbled slowly. "What is he doing down there?" Shigure hissed angrily. Temari breathed heavily through her nose, knowing full well her Father was going to be pissed. Her stomach began to churn.

"Gaara…has taken up residence with a human girl…"

"…What?"

"He's staying with a human girl in the human world."

She looked at her Father, waiting for him to lose his temper and start to choke people with his golden sand. But Shigure sighed through his mouth and clenched his hand into a tight fist.

"Can you tell me anything about this woman?"

"Her name is Xin and she is about twenty. She knows Gaara is a demon and is aware of the demon realm." Temari tried to remember things from the time she had looked over her younger brother. The woman was an interesting human.

"Xin…." Shigure mumbled into his palm. "I'm not sure what this Xin woman has done to keep Gaara from reaching his goal, but she needs to be removed now. She is an obstacle. Temari, locate Sasori and Deidara and bring them to me."

She would be the first to die.

* * *

"Didn't I tell you to knock? It's not that goddamn hard!"

Naruto watched anxiously as Gaara and Xin battled it out in the middle of the living room. Apparently, Gaara had barged into the bathroom in the middle of Xin getting out of her shower.

Now, here they stood. Xin clad in a towel with wet and curly hair and Gaara, blank-faced and uncaring to her distress. "Stop being foolish, you have nothing I haven't seen before," Gaara growled down at her. Xin flushed, he had confirmed that he saw her. Naked. That fucker was going down, she swore to God. Hissing, she threw herself forward and grabbed onto Gaara's arm. She was attempting to claw his skin up.

However, Gaara glanced down at her hand and squinted. Her hand started to glow an eerie purple color and the space she was holding onto began to burn. She was burning his skin; it was going to burn off the bone if he didn't stop her.

With a grunt, he ripped his arm away and shoved her away. Naruto, watching the entire exchange, jumped up to catch the stumbling woman. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Xin snapped. "Me? You just tried to burn off my skin you wretched little bitch," Gaara snarled, grabbing his arm and staring at it. Xin's hand started to glow again while she barred her teeth at him.

"How could I possibly manage to do that?" She hissed at him. Naruto noticed her glowing hands and slid his hands further up her arms. There was no way in hell he was going to allow her to burn the living shit out of him. "Uh, Xinny?" Naruto asked slowly. He had taken to calling her that. She didn't really mind though. That nickname hadn't been used since her childhood but hearing it after all these years had been nice.

"What?" She barked at the blond. Naruto motioned to her hands with his eyes. The little woman followed his gaze and looked at her. Her eyes widened and she let out a sound that sounded like _'mep'_. "You tried to burn me, human," Gaara spat at her as the glow began to fade away. "I did not potentially try to burn you, you psychopathic freak of nature," Xin bit out, pointing a finger at him.

"You're calling me a psychopathic freak of nature while you're the one glowing and burning people?" Gaara laughed sarcastically while Xin sighed heavily. "I didn't mean to! I don't know what that was! You made me angry and I reacted," Xin insisted with a huff, staring at her hand.

Naruto patted her bare shoulders in order to get her attention. "Are you a priestess, Xinny? They had the power to purify demons like that…" Naruto trailed off, keeping a secure hold on her. Just in case Gaara suddenly wanted to maim her, Naruto could pull her out of harm's way. Just in case….

"A priestess?" Xin asked with wide eyes. Her eyes brows knitted together and she frowned in thought. "I'm not a priestess. If I was, someone from my family would have told me so." She answered, shaking her head.

Naruto glanced at Gaara, who was still glaring daggers at the little human. "What's your last name, Xin?" Naruto asked her slowly, wheeling her around to face him. Xin squinted at him. What did her last name have to do with her nearly burning a hole through Gaara's arm?

"Hyuuga."

She turned to face Gaara, wanting to apologize. But he was already gone.

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

You know what I've come to realize?

Gaara is a pansy.

Like, emotionally. Not physically. I've seen him and Naruto wrestle in my living room at least five times since they've been here. In no way, shape, or form is Gaara a pansy when it comes to being physically. But emotionally? Yep, I think he's a pansy. Wanna know why? After I somehow managed to burn him _(it was an accident, I swear to God)_ he secluded himself away from Naruto and I.

We knew where he was though. It's not like he vanished off the face of the Earth or anything like that. Nope, he preferred to hide out on the roof of my apartment building. When he was out there, he refused to talk to either of us.

At first, I'd cook plates of food for him, but he didn't like that. He'd just let the food go to waste and when I'd come back to check on him, I'd find dirty dishes of food. I was ready to throw a plate at the back of that mothafucka's head.

So, as a last ditch effort I brought him a plate of freshly baked cookies. Naruto seemed to like them enough, so I thought what the hell and brought him a plate of cookies. I guess he liked those cookies cuz' when I came back to get the plate, those fuckers were gone.

Anyway, he refused to come down from the roof. So for the past couple of days, it's just been me and Naruto hanging out. And I have to admit, it's been nice. Naruto was a sweetie, unlike some raging redheaded freak (_yep, I mean you, Gaara. Youyouyou. You freak). _

Naruto liked having conversations with me. He didn't constantly insult me and he liked to eat my food. He even asked about my boxing when he'd seen me boxing at my little mini-punching bag I have hung up in my room.

But of course, Gaara just had to ruin it all (_if he can't be happy, no one can)._

I was sitting on the couch watching television and eating a bowl of ramen. Naruto was next to me, trying his hardest to fuckin' inhale my steamed noodles. While Gaara liked cookies, Naruto preferred ramen noodles. I guess they didn't have ramen and cookies in the demon realm because these two would probably freakin' rob a store if they had to.

"Naruto, get the fuck off of me. I'm trying to eat," I was snapping at him, holding my bowl away from him. I had one foot propped on the middle of his chest while he whined and reached for my bowl of ramen. "Come oooon. I'm hungry!" He complained loudly in my ear. The little fuck was going to buss my eardrum, I swear. "If you're so hungry, go make some yourself! Quit being useless!" I growled at him, trying my hardest to not drop my goddamn food.

"You banned me from the using your kitchen, you crazy little elf!" Naruto reminded me. I didn't trust him after he burned the living shit out of batch of cookies. Gaara wasn't too pleased with the delay of his cookies. "It's your fault!" I reminded him with a huff. Naruto finally leaned away, allowing me to eat in peace. "Prepare me ramen, woman!" He barked out. I could tell he was only half-joking. He knew I didn't like it when Gaara called me everything but my actual name.

"Fine, fine. I'll make you some when I make Gaara some cookies. Just lemme finish eating my bowl," I told him, flagging him off. Before I could shove some more noodles into my mouth, I paused.

Who the fuck was I, Betty Crocker? Why was I willingly making food for these two knuckleheads? I'm not their slave, their servant-girl! I should make them cook their own food when they're hungry!

But oh God, what if they destroy my beautiful kitchen? I could simply ask my Father to remodel a ruined kitchen. But then he'd ask me how I pulled off destroying my kitchen when I'm the perfect cook. I couldn't let that happened. I _refuse_ to let that happen.

Goddammit, they needed to learn how to cook. Again, I paused and then snorted. I can't picture Naruto, let alone Gaara, cooking in my kitchen.

During my musings, I didn't even notice that Naruto had stolen my bowl of noodles and had finished it off. "W-What the fuck? You ate my food!" I hissed at him just as he placed my now empty bowl on my coffee table. "Wasn't my fault. You were just sitting there." He was grinning like a fat ass cat.

Mothafucka.

I started to relentlessly beat him with a book that I had been reading earlier. "Bad demon! No! No! Bad demon!" I shouted as I swiped the book on his head continuously. "Ow! Hey! Cut that out you crazy little elf!"

At some point, Gaara appeared during Naruto's beating. Neither of us noticed until he came up behind me and grabbed me by the wrist. Of course, that halted Naruto's beating. The burly blond took his chance to escape, scrambling to his feet. I couldn't hope to attack him while he was standing, the tall fuck.

"What are you two doing?" Gaara asked with a blank expression. "My God, it's a miracle." I gaped up at him; I forgot to pull my hand away from him. That tingling was back. I don't know what it meant but I tingled (_gaaay) _whenever he grabbed me.

"You actually came down and you're speaking to us," I said in a dead-ass tone. To be quite honest, I was surprised he had made an appearance. After all, he stayed up on the roof all day and didn't speak to us at all. "Quiet, human." He sighed, rolling his eyes at my sarcastic nature. Hey, I can't help being sarcastic. Just like he couldn't help being a crazy cookie-loving freak. I accepted him so he should accept me.

"Naruto. Put your robes back on," Gaara ordered my blond demon. Since they've been here, I managed to convince the both of them to wear human clothes. Naruto didn't mind, he liked wearing bright orange clothes while Gaara had settled for the dark reds and black colors.

I should've burned those robes when I had the chance. Tilting my head back, I met his powerful gaze. I'm pretty sure that if he hadn't been holding me up, my knees would've gave out and I would've fell into a heap. Yeah, he could inflict orgasms on the spot.

"Why does he have to put them back on? Why do you have your robes on?" I squinted at him, noticing he had discarded his modern clothes for his old robes. I frowned at that, I couldn't see his muscled arms or his well-toned chest. Booo. Xinny is displeased. Xinny wants to see some skin.

"Because, Naruto and I are returning to the demon-realm."

_Uh….excuse me?_


	3. Cuz' we sleep when we die

_TeeBeMe: Chapter three...I'm having a hard time with Chapter fourteen for The Show Goes On..so I finished this chapter today._

__**Xin: TeeBeMe doesn't own any of the Naruto franchise. She just owns the OCs. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Xin's P.O.V

I felt a little bothered that my two freakish men were about to leave. I'd grown used to it. To Gaara's grouchiness and Naruto's sheer stupidity. Did I really offend Gaara so much by burning him that he decided to go home?

Aw, boo.

_Wait. _Had I failed? Was Gaara bored with me? Was he going back to the demon-realm to set off some chain reaction that would end the world as I know it?

_Fuuuuck. _

I think my distress appeared over my face because Naruto leaned over to gather me up in his big burly arms. "I'm sure Gaara has a reasonable explanation, do you not?" Naruto reasoned to me calmly, glancing at Gaara.

Gaara noticed my expression and an evil smirk broke out across his face. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. Suddenly I realized that this was just a game to him. Nothing was serious. I was just a player and he was the boss.

Did I just lose the game?

Mothafucka, holy shit. I was probably going to die now. Suddenly, it felt like Naruto's arms were too tight. It felt like his hug was caging me, locking me into place. He was in on this, wasn't he? Gaara was about to kill me and Naruto was the one who was going to hold me down like some animal that needed to be killed for safety reasons.

Oh, hell no. If I was going down, I for damn sure wasn't going down like this. Panic was swelling in my chest and it was about to burst on these mothafuckas. With a screech, I plunged my nails into Naruto's arms.

I liked Naruto, I did. But if he was going to be partially responsible for my death, he was going to get his ass handed to him by me. Naruto shouted in surprise and I took my chance. I slammed my elbow into his face, snapping his head back and weakening his hold on me.

I scrambled out of his hold and dashed to the kitchen. I think I might have shocked Gaara and Naruto. I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't caught Naruto off guard like that, they would've used their freaky speed and caught me already.

Anyway, I nearly slammed into the counter as I reached for my largest knife. Turning around with my chef's knife held defensively, I glared at Gaara and Naruto. Naruto was holding his _(bruised or broken) _nose while Gaara was staring at me like I lost my mind.

"I'm not afraid to use this." I said slowly, my eyes flickering back and forth between the two of them. "What? What the hell…why would you need to use that?" Naruto groaned from underneath his hand.

My eyebrows scrunched together as I frowned in confusion. "Because….you're about to kill me?" I reminded the two slowly, backing into the wall. "…What…what is _wrong_ with you? You just tried to break my nose because we're going to kill you? What are you talking about? We're not going to kill you!" Naruto started to snap at me, narrowing those pretty blue eyes.

"Liar! I'm not falling for that bullshit! You two are going to kill me and then go kill the rest of the humans. Well, fuck both of you! Let's see if you can kill me without any goddamn hands!" I shouted, waving around my knife.

"Woman, put the knife down before you harm yourself," Gaara sighed heavily, taking a step towards me. "_AHA_! You'd like that, wouldn't you? As soon as I put it down, you're going to claw my throat out and eat it, aren't you?" I accused loudly, still waving my knife around.

"Why would I eat your throat? That is disgusting," Gaara told me. I wasn't buying that shit. They were going to kill me and we all knew it. They just wanted to take me by surprise, but hell to the no.

"We aren't going to kill you, woman," Gaara repeated slowly. My eyes hardened over, not believing him for a second. "If you aren't going to kill me, then why are you going back to the demon-realm? We made a deal. You'd go back if you got bored. You're going to kill us all, starting with me first, right?"

"That's the deal," Gaara nodded, confirming it. "So, you're going to kill me," I repeated, my grip on the knife tightened. "Those aren't my plans for today. Maybe another time. Put the knife down, human."

I continued to stare at him, not too certain if he was telling the truth or not. "I will not kill the humans. You have not failed. I simply need to visit an old woman from the demon-realm. I will return after I've spoken with her."

I squinted at him, eyebrow raised. "Then why is Naruto going with you?" I asked slowly, lowering my arm just a little bit. "Because Chiyo requested he come with me or she won't tell me what I want to know."

"…You're telling the truth?"

"What purpose is there to lie?"

"…"

Gaara sighed heavily and shook his head. "Now, give me the knife," He ordered. Before I even had a chance to freakin' reply, he was in my face. The knife was slipping from my hand before I could protest.

"Apologize to Naruto for humiliating him," Gaara ordered, jabbing a thumb to the blond. Now that I looked a the blond, I felt bad. If what Gaara says is true, than I attacked Naruto for no reason. Especially when he was just trying to comfort me.

I crossed over to the bruised demon. "Naruto…..I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to attack you, really. I thought you guys were going to kill me," I mumbled out, dropping my head in shame.

Surprisingly, Naruto patted me on the head. "S'ok. Just caught me off guard, really. You're kind of husky for being such an elf." Naruto barked out a laugh. "I'm not that small, you know!" I insisted with a huff.

Naruto let out another laugh and patted me on the head again. "Says the crazy elf." He chuckled, ruffling my hair. "I wish you guys would stop calling me a crazy elf. I'm not crazy and I'm not an elf." I sighed heavily, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Your height does seem as if it was stunted. And you are crazy," Gaara said from behind us, placing my knife back in its spot. "My height wasn't stunted…I drank a lot of milk, I swear." I whirled around to tell him.

"It's alright. Some men like short women. A lot of Gaara's past lovers were on the short side," Naruto told me, patting me on the shoulder. I gaped at Gaara, cuz' really….I didn't expect him to have a love life.

Not that he wasn't fuckin' delectable. If he wasn't such a conceited ass demon, I would smash. I would smash all night, sleep for a couple of hours and then smash again. But you know, I'm pretty sure he would be repulsed at the mere thought of having sex with a human.

Especially since I was a crazy little elf.

Anyway, back to his love life thing. Yeah, I didn't expect him to have one because he didn't seem like the relationship type of guy. Gaara seemed like he was too bored with life in general. So a relationship would be out of the question.

But then, Naruto used the word 'lover'. Apparently, demons did not follow the same rules of a relationship like humans. Naruto had given me several lessons on demonology. Is that a word? I don't know. If it's not, it is now.

Instead of 'dating' and having the title of 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend', demons did something called 'courting'. Courting is like going out, only they don't call it that. I don't see any difference but whatever. After however long you court the demon, you mate with them.

This is like basically getting married. Permanently. There is no deciding that you suddenly didn't want to be with that demon anymore. You're mated for life. So you're stuck with that fucker.

So, I'm guessing since Naruto used the words 'past' and 'lover', I'm going to assume these past hookers were just one night stands and they were in the past. Wait, the fuck? Why was I even worried about it? It wasn't like I was interested in him, he's just sexy. That's all.

Yeah….that's all.

"It was only one that was as short as this woman," Gaara said, smashing my weary thoughts into a billion pieces. I have got to stop paying attention to things at hand and going off in lala land.

"I'm not that short, dammit!"

_Naruto's P.O.V _

The little one seemed to be bothered by something. She had gone insane for the span on ten minutes. She bashed me in my nose and then waved a knife around, screaming that she wasn't going to let us kill her and she knew how to use a knife.

Ha, the poor little fool. If I hadn't been so off-guard about being attacked directly in my face, I would have already snapped her neck out of reflex. But a dead human such as this little woman isn't fun.

After Gaara had calmed her down and convinced her that he wasn't going to kill her, she apologized to me. She didn't know any better, she was human. I forgave her, of course. She was quite the scrapper when panicked.

I was even more surprised that Gaara had calmed her down the way he did. He could have just pinned her to the floor and ripped the knife out of her hand while threatening to disembowel her for having the guts to pull a knife on him.

Instead, he spoke to her in a calm voice and moved about carefully. I guess he didn't want to spook her and cause her to harm herself with that knife she had pulled out. Something was different about my usually uncaring best friend.

And now, after I had mentioned Gaara's past lovers, the little woman had frowned in thought. She seemed extremely bothered with Gaara's past. But she seemed to come back into focus when Gaara spoke. And then she flew off the handle about her height.

She was a lot more different than her sister, now that I've been around her for nearly a month. When I watched her sister, Hinata was a lot gentler with her words, she had sweet smiles and she didn't have an ounce of anger in her body.

But Xin…on the other hand. I'm sure she's evil. Or insane.

"Naruto, your robes." Gaara barked at me. I blinked and then looked at Xin. She had nearly ripped me from my robes and then thrown them somewhere in her sleeping chamber. She seemed quite annoyed but walked off to retrieve my robes.

"Are you going to ask Chiyo about the existence of priestesses in the demon and human worlds?" I asked seriously when Xin was gone. Gaara only nodded. "Priestesses died out ages ago. But she somehow managed to burn me like one would. We must speak with Chiyo." Gaara informed me with a blank look.

"Bah, Chiyo always calls me Kurama," I frowned, thinking of the old woman who never called me by my birth name. "She does the same with me. Don't dwell on it," He waved it off just as the little one returned with my robes.

Xin glanced at my robes in distaste and shoved them at me. "Here. Your weird robes," She sniffed out, going to her ice box and pulling something out of it. The little woman seemed quite displeased and I assumed it had something to do with our impending departure.

"Is something bothering you, Xin?" I asked out of curiosity. To please her, I called her by her actual name. Unlike Gaara, who seemed quite amused when he called her 'woman', 'human', or 'girl'.

The human turned towards me with a cookie in her little fingers. "What do you mean? I'm fine," She answered me, glancing at Gaara. I felt a nervous spike in her emotions as she looked away from him.

I smirked at her, leaning forward. I didn't notice Gaara narrow his eyes at me. And even if I had seen him do that, I wouldn't have cared. This human did not belong to him. She was fair game.

She shifted uncomfortably but didn't back down from me. "There's no need to lie, Xin." I spoke lowly to her. Her small little fingers pulled back into fists but I wasn't too worried about her. If she attacks me, I'll have her pinned to the floor in a second.

Her eyebrows drew together in worry and I caught her glancing at Gaara once more. "I'm not lying," She insisted, quickly looking away before her could see her. I knew it even if she didn't say anything. She didn't have to say anything.

The delicate human was attracted to Gaara. All the small looks made sense. And why she seemed so uneasy that he and I would be returning to the demon-realm soon. I wondered if she was sexually attracted to him as well. Most likely.

"Leave the woman alone, Naruto. Go put your robes back on," Gaara suddenly ordered me. I looked overtop her head at him. Finally, I noticed his dangerous look. I wondered if it was possible that he was attracted to Xin.

Forbidden fruit. This should be interesting.

_End P.O.V_

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

The following morning I stood on the roof of my complex with Gaara and Naruto. And a portal. The portal was the freakiest thing I've ever seen. It was like someone had ribbed a tear in the air and had spread the rip open, revealing a mass of swirling colors. It reminded me of that time when I tried taking acid and saw a bunch of freakin' colors. My parents weren't too pleased when they found me four miles away from home in a chicken coop the following morning. To this day, I can't remember that night except for seeing a bunch of colors.

Naruto stood over me with his stupid grin. "When I return, will you make me more of your ramen noodles?" He asked, placing his hand on my head. I could only laugh at what a fatass he was. "Of course." I nodded and patted his arm before tugging it off my head.

I smiled sweetly and stood on the tips of my toes. With a giggle, I placed a friendly kiss on his cheek. "It'll be waiting for you when you get back," I promised him. Naruto nodded, glanced back at Gaara and then walked into that weird portal.

When I turned to bid Gaara a goodbye, he seemed tense and pissed off. To be quite honest, it made me nervous. What the hell had I done that pissed him off that quickly? He was fine when we came to the roof.

All I had done was say goodbye to Naruto.

I thought back on our exchange. He had asked for ramen and I told him that I'd make some for him when he got back. He patted my head, I patted his arm and gave him a small kiss goodbye on the cheek.

I gaped at him. He wasn't angry that I had given Naruto a kiss on the cheek, right? I mean, come on…why would that even matter to him? It's not like he and I had anything going on. And there for damn sure wasn't anything going on between Naruto and me.

Truthfully, I was a little nervous as I moved towards him. Smiling nervously and playing with my ponytail, I looked up at him. "I can have some cookies waiting for you. If you'd like…" I said slowly, wondering if he was going to throw my ass straight off this roof.

Gaara snorted at me _(which was fuckin' rude). _I instantly frowned at him. "Well, fine. If you don't want any damn cookies…." I growled, turning away from him. Mothafucka, why did he have to ruin everything?

Don't tell anyone, but I let out this little girly shriek when he grabbed me and spun me around to face him. "What the hell? If you have something to say, spit it out already!" I barked at him as he eyed me carefully.

The tall demon leaned down and slanted his lips over mine, completely catching me off guard. It's not like I didn't like it _(oh please, I loved every minute of it), _it just caught me off guard. Gaara placed his hand at the base of my spine and pushed me into his body. I curled my fingers into his robes while he tangled one of his hands in my dark hair. My thoughts were completely scattered as his tongue snaked its way into my mouth.

I know. I know it's wrong. But if he had wanted to, I would've fucked him right then and there. Yep. I won't even bother lying. I wanted to shove him to the ground, rip our clothes off and ride him until I couldn't stand up anymore.

My body was one fire and I loved every minute of it. I never even felt like this, not even during sex with other men. All he was doing was kissing me and I was ready to have an orgasm. He was good.

Of course, he was the one to end it. As he pulled away, I sucked in gasps of air and stared at him with wide eyes. I saw him smirk as he leaned down again, pressing his lips to my neck this time. Gaara's tongue glided over my skin and I shivered despite myself. His sharpened teeth grated against my neck in sensual way that caused me to gasp. But that was it. He leaned away quickly to stare at my face.

"We shall return." Was all he said before he let go of me and stepped into the portal behind us. For a few moments I stood, completely stunned. Did that really happen? Did Gaara just kiss the life out of me?

I slumped to the ground.

Goddammit, he turned me on and then left.

* * *

They were gone for a week and it drove me crazy. I had nothing to do and no one to come home to. Whenever I returned from boxing or a visit at Hinata's house, I expected them to be there. Gaara standing at my window and Naruto settled on my couch.

But I came home to an empty apartment each time.

I thought about the kiss almost every day. And while sitting on the couch by myself, I find myself rubbing my neck. What the hell had caused him to kiss me like that? Was Gaara attracted to me? He didn't seem like it most of the time.

I sighed heavily and continued to play on my phone. After five minutes of just sitting there, I decided that if I didn't get out of the house now I would probably lose my mind. I got dressed and gathered my things and opened my front door to leave.

"Oof." I grunted out, running into a way of something hard. My head snapped up and I instantly backed up. Standing at my door were two men. I was already feeling sick to my stomach just looking at the two.

The one I had ran into reminded me somewhat of Gaara. They were probably the same height. This man had messy red hair and dark eyes. His eyes unsettled me. They were so….blank. There was no emotion to be found in them.

His companion stood behind him but I could still make out his appearance. He had long blond hair with a section of his hair pulled into a high ponytail. He had one amused light blue eye trained on me.

They were both wearing unfamiliar robes.

In a sense, they reminded me of Gaara and Naruto. The redheaded one seemed to be a serious person, like Gaara. And then the blond one seemed to be more relaxed and maybe even easy-going like Naruto.

"Hello, little one," The redhead greeted me, walking towards me. I instantly backed up into my apartment, allowing them to enter. The blond one quietly closed the door behind him, which made me a little nervous.

"My name is Deidara and this is Sasori, yeah. We have some questions, un." The blond one, named Deidara told me with a smile. "Can't this wait? I have somewhere to be. And I don't remember inviting you in," I huffed at the two, putting a brave front on.

Something was telling me to run. But where? I already knew it. They were demons. And obviously they wanted something from me. But this didn't feel right, the gut-feeling was telling me they weren't too friendly.

"Unfortunately, it can't. If you just answer our question and do what we say…we won't kill you," Sasori told me. I licked my dry lips and wondered if I could make it to the kitchen without them catching me.

"What have you done to Prince Gaara?" Sasori asked me slowly. My eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "What're you talking about?" I asked him, trying to back away discreetly. "I'm assuming you know his purpose in this world. However, it's been almost two months and he has not done what he's supposed to. It's because of your interference. Did a mere human seduce him into not eradicating you all?" Sasori asked, catching me by the shoulder.

Seduce? My face felt hot. Mothafucka reminded me of that damn kiss. I wasn't seducing anyone! If anyone was being seduced, it was me! Gaara is the one attacking me with kisses and licking me like I'm some sort of lollypop.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," my reply came out slowly. Maybe if I just played dumb and acted like I have no idea what's going on, they'll leave me alone or something.

"You're lying. I can smell his scent all over this place. And you. His scent is all over _you_…" Sasori snapped at me, towering over me. His hand slithered around my back and tightened around my waist while his other hand gripped my smaller wrist.

"If you tell us what you've done, we promise your death will be the quickest and most painless," Sasori whispered to me. It almost felt like we were about to start dancing. A dangerous dance…you know…cuz' they wanted me dead and everything.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't done anything," I hissed back at him, glaring at him. Deidara chuckled from behind me. The fuck was so funny to him? These fuckers were threatening me.

"Unfortunately, the council ordered us not to kill you off," Sasori scowled down at me. His hold on my wrist tightened, causing me to gasp out in shock. My wrist, holy shit, I could hear it cracking. I've broken bones before, believe me. But they always got broken in a quick way that would put me into shock and I wouldn't be able to feel anything. But…Sasori was squeezing so slowly that my wrist was cracking at a sluggish pace.

"So, we'll let you off with a warning, little human." Sasori was smirking down at me. I could literally feel my wrist cracking apart. I could barely hear him over my startled gasps and screams. "Stop whatever it is that you're doing and allow Gaara to carry out his order. If you're a good girl and do it quickly, we'll make sure that when he kills all you disgusting humans….you'll be taken to the demon-realm as a pet." Sasori was still smirking at me.

"U-Uh…"

The three of us snapped our heads to the door to see (_oh holy hell, why, God, why) _my sister standing at the door. Out of all times to come visit me, Hinata chose today to walk in.

Sasori glanced at me with a scowl, tightened his grip on my wrist for good measure and fuckin' vanished. Hinata was gasping as I slumped to the floor, holding my wrist in pain. It wasn't broken, probably fractured or sprained.

"Xin…are you alright? Who was that? And why did he say someone was going to kill us? Did he say something about a demon-realm?" questions were shooting off from her mouth as she hurried over to me.

I slapped my forehead.

_End P.O.V_

* * *

_Gaara's P.O.V_

A week later, we returned. The portal opened out and I stepped carefully out of it. I heard Naruto grunt and glanced behind me to see that he had fallen out of the portal and landed on his face. "Nice going, idiot." I sighed, folding my arms across my chest. "You shut up! I missed out on ramen for a week for nothing. That old bag of bones didn't even have the information we wanted." Naruto growled, standing up.

"She said it was a term from Konoha. Perhaps if you knew any history from your home, we wouldn't have made such an unneeded trip to Suna." I shot back at him in annoyance. We would have to locate Tsunade to find out what I wanted to know.

Fortunately, Tsunade was in the human world. She was posted in a little village outside of the woman's city. Naruto and I would check on the human and then immediately set out to find Tsunade.

We set out for her living space, but as we neared it…I caught onto a scent that made my blood boil. "Gaara….do you smell that?" Naruto asked quietly as he took the lead. I grunted to confirm it as he stopped in front of her door and opened it without knocking.

"….and that's why I was just attacked." Xin was finishing speaking just as the door opened. She was sitting on her couch with her arm stretched out. Her sister with the similar face was standing up, wrapping Xin's wrist with white wrappings.

Xin instantly stopped talking and looked at us with a shocked expression. Her sister did the same, blinking slowly. Next to me, Naruto tensed up. I sniffed the air and the scent hit me in the face.

That bastard was here. I could smell his scent in here. I could smell his scent mixed in with _her_ scent. The bastard had touched her. How dare that sniveling fucker come in here when I was not present to touch my human?

Xin grabbed her sister and quickly yanked her down to the couch as I crossed the room. She let out a shocked yelp as I grabbed her by the arm and hoisted her up from the couch. Her sister seemed surprised that I treated the woman so roughly; she held her hand out to protest but Naruto interfered, grabbing her hand and pulling it away.

"Who was here?" I demanded harshly. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. "Tell me who was here Xin, I can smell something different," I shook her a little bit. This was something serious; she needed to tell me right now.

Xin was confused and she struggled to concentrate under my angry gaze. "I…he…Uh…" She scrambled for something coherent to say. "H-His name was Sasori or something. Sasori and Deidara…" She scrambled for an answer.

"What did he do, Xin?" I tried to ask more calmly. She looked at me nervously and then played with the end of her ponytail. "He threatened me and tried to…I dunno, break my wrist or something?" She held up her bandaged wrist with a frown.

"They know Gaara, the council and I guess your Father? They know you aren't doing what you're supposed to do. And it's pissing them off. I think they want to kill me. Why does everyone want to kill me?" Xin began rambling.

I sighed heavily, ignoring her rambling. "And your sister?" I asked, glancing at the woman. She was sitting next to Naruto and glancing at him nervously. "She came in during the end. They probably know that she overhead us…" Xin slumped her shoulders.

"Perhaps she should stay here with us?" Naruto suddenly perked up. Xin and I glanced back at him curiously. He seemed a little too excited at the thought of the sister to stay here with us. "Sasori and Deidara could come back and decide to kill her…because she overhead you and him. If she's here with us…." He trailed off, staring at the woman. Xin squinted at Naruto suspiciously.

"If you wanna stay, Hina…" Xin trailed off while still staring at Naruto. "It would be in my b-best interest, wouldn't it? T-they could mistake me for you," Her sister was blushing from all of our gazes on her.

"Wait a minute, weren't we going to leave?" Naruto suddenly remembered. My human's eyes widened drastically. "You're leaving? _Again?_ Have you lost your mind? You're gonna leave the two of us here to get killed, aren't you?" She began to rant, pulling her arm from me.

"Xin, calm down." I sighed down at her. I placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on her hip. "You want me calm down? He could've raped me! They could come back and rape the two of us while you two are God knows where." She continued to rant. I watched her rant and rave in amusement. I snorted and allowed her to continue her tantrum. I could only snort, which caused her to pause. "What's with that? You think she and I aren't good enough to be raped by those demons?" She scowled at me.

"Xin, don't make it seem as if being raped is an honorable thing," The other human sighed, massaging her temples. "I will not allow him and Deidara to rape the two of you, now calm down." I patted her on the head. "How're you so sure they won't?" She huffed in annoyance.

"Because the two of you are going to come along with us."

_End P.O.V_

* * *

Xin padded through her apartment later that evening. Hinata had gone to Xin's room to sleep an hour ago and Naruto had followed her there. When Xin questioned him about it, he insisted that he was just making sure she'd be fine while she slept. Naruto seemed a little bit too attached to Hinata.

"Looks like he has some crazy crush on her," Xin mumbled to herself, rubbing the back of her neck. She paused on her way to the kitchen and looked at the window. The large window was open and Gaara was sitting on the sill, his legs dangling over the ledge.

She shrugged to herself and walked over to him. Carefully _(so that she didn't slip and fall_ _to her ungraceful death)_ she straddled the sill, dangling one leg outside and the other on the inside.

"So, looks like I have a death warrant on my head, hm?" She tightened her legs on the sill and began to play with her hair. She really didn't want to fall to her death, she glanced down and paled. It was a long way down.

Sweet Jesus, have mercy.

"I will not let them kill you." Gaara replied after a moment's pause. "Yeah, because you're going to kill me first, right?" Xin laughed bitterly. Gaara looked at her as she looked down at the ground again. "Perhaps. Perhaps not." He shrugged. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have already done it." Gaara reminded her, seeing her frown. "I guess that's true," Xin nodded her head. "For example, I could knock you down to your death," Gaara told her, placing a hand on her leg.

Again, she paled and smiled nervously. "I hope you won't do that…" She let out a small laugh. "Where would the fun be in doing that?" Gaara smirked at her, tightening his hold on her leg and pulling her near him.

Xin let out a little shriek and jumped forward, grabbing onto his robes. She swore to God she was going to fall off just now. "Oh please, Lord, whoever, I don't want to die today. I'll be a good girl, I swear. I'll even try to stop cursing. _Try._ I can't make a promise that I will stop entirely, but I will try. Please, Jesus…I'm begging you." She started to freak out, gripping his robes even tighter.

"Xin, you're fine. And I think we all know you can't go a day without cursing. So, stop screaming," Gaara sighed, patting at her good wrist. Xin blushed heavily and released her death-grip on his robes.

"Oi, you called me by my actual name," She suddenly grinned in his face. Gaara frowned down at her and moved back a little bit. "I know your name, silly girl. Calling you everything but your name is amusing." He shrugged, causing her to blush.

Xin glared at him and sighed. "Well, I guess if it's amusing to you," She grumbled to herself. Gaara leaned towards her, causing her to stare at him in confusion. "What? Is there something on my face?" She patted her face. "I can still smell his scent all over you," Gaara grumbled in disgust. "Whose scent? Sasori's? For fuck's sake, I showered for like an hour. How am I supposed to get it off?" Xin growled, sniffing her arm.

Gaara reached forward to sling his arm around her neck. "I'll get it off," He growled in annoyance. The little human blushed heavily, feeling that tingling in her body again as soon as he kissed her.

Hands slid up and down her arms, causing her to flinch when his fingers slid over her bandaged wrist. She scooted closer, digging her nails into his skin. Xin broke the kiss first, looking down and biting her lip. "Two months and I'm already kissing you. I feel like a whore," Xin laughed while rubbing the back of her neck. Gaara snorted and played with a thick lock of her dark hair. "Silly little human," He chuckled out, resting his lips at her neck.

Gaara kissed a trail down to her chest and ran his hand up and down her leg. He was going to make sure he couldn't smell Sasori's smell on her body anymore. He'd be damned if his little human waltzed around smelling like that bastard.

"G-Gaara…you're going to make me fall…" She heard herself mumble quietly. "You won't fall," Gaara insisted, pausing just above her breasts. She was blushing like a tomato now. "Well, we shouldn't make out on a windowsill," Xin insisted, trying to pull away. But Gaara, with the grip of iron, wasn't budging. "Why not?" He asked blankly. "Well, for one…I could fall."

"But you won't."

"Two, people could see us."

"I do not care."

"Three, the way I'm sitting isn't good."

Gaara glanced at the way she was sitting. "My legs are like cocked open and I keep scraping my leg against the wall," She told him, pointing to her leg that was dangling outside.

Gaara rolled his eyes and turned to sit the way she was sitting. He grabbed her leg that was inside and flipped it so it was dangling outside and she was sitting facing outside now. He grabbed her around her waist and slid her so that she was sitting between his legs and her shoulder was leaning into his broad chest. "Better?"

Her face felt like fire now. So, he legitimately wanted to kiss her. Or, he just wants to get the smell of Sasori off of her. "Well…" She trailed off while looking at him. Gaara leaned down to brush his lips against hers again. She could feel his fingers scrape against her cheek. Xin hummed in pleasure against his lips and giggled when Gaara's tongue poked at her teeth. Her fingers curled into his robes when his tongue charged into her mouth.

"Holy hell."

Xin shrieked and promptly fell from her seat. Gaara reacted quickly, catching her by her arm before she could plummet to her death. Xin was shrieking the whole time Gaara pulled her back up. He got off the sill, stepping back into the apartment and still holding onto Xin. She was sobbing tearlessly now, clinging on the side of Gaara. "I told you I was going to fall, dammit. Sweet Jesus, my life just flashed before my eyes. Neji owes me fifty dollars and my Dad promised me a fuckin' pony when I was four. Where the fuck is my pony?" She growled, holding on tightly.

"Were you two about to have sex? On the windowsill?" Naruto asked from behind the couch. Gaara sighed heavily and looked at Xin. She was still talking to herself. "Be quiet Xin. I caught you. You're not dead. And no, Naruto. We weren't going to have sex on the windowsill."

"Could've fooled me. I knew it. I knew you were attracted to her," Naruto grinned stupidly. Gaara narrowed his eyes at his best friend. "And you're attracted to her sister. Get over it."

"Her sister is nice. Nice and sweet, she's soft too." Naruto grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. Xin instantly stopped babbling to stare at him. "How do you know she's soft?" She scowled at him. "The same way Gaara knows you're soft." Naruto snorted while rolling his eyes. Xin opened her mouth to unleash hell on him but Naruto quickly beat her to it. "Just kidding. She tripped over one of your shoes and I caught her so she wouldn't hurt herself. Calm down, I didn't do anything bad. Now…the two of you…on the other hand."

Xin blushed and touched her lips. "Shut up, Naruto. It wasn't bad. We didn't break any rules or anything," She huffed before peeking at Gaara. "Right?" She asked quietly. Was there a rule about relationships between demons and humans? Furthermore, was this even a relationship?

"No. There's no rule. Don't listen to Naruto. He's the village's idiot." Gaara scowled at the blond. "Oi! Shut the hell up. I'm not the village's idiot! That's Kiba." Naruto insisted with a whine. "I'm going to bed," Xin shook her head. She pushed Gaara's arm off of her and quickly hurried to her bedroom. Maybe if she jumped on the bed, she could wake Hinata and act like it wasn't her fault.

Naruto watched as the little human hurried off to her room. Once the door was closed behind her, he turned to face Gaara. "So, this is what you do? Kiss humans in the dead of the night?" Naruto laughed, folding his arms across his chest.

"At least I had the guts to kiss the one I'm attracted to," Gaara snorted. "Shut up! She just met me properly today! I can't just kiss her out of nowhere," Naruto reminded him, pointing at him. "You've been watching her for months, Naruto. Just tell her that," Gaara shrugged, sitting back on the windowsill. "I think it's considered stalking." Naruto mumbled in depression.

"Well, who told you to watch her?" Gaara shrugged, straightening his robe. "Well else was I suppose to do? Drop out of the sky and say 'hey, I'm a demon. You're pretty and not vile like the rest of your disgusting race so I'm interested in you'." Naruto mocked.

"Worked on Xin."

Naruto shot him an evil look.

"Shut the fuck up."


	4. I'm just a holy fool

_TeeBeMe: Update! Sorry for the lateness!_

**Xin: She only owns the OCs!**

* * *

We set off to find this Tsunade woman two days after Sasori and Deidara paid me a visit. Of course, Naruto insisted that was just use a portal to appear in the little town Tsunade was located in. However, his plan was flawed.

According to Gaara, there was a chance those portals would fuck around with our human minds. Hinata and I had never used portals so we didn't have a strong mental stability enough to withstand the portals.

So, plan B. Take a luxury train to that small little town. So, here Hinata and I are. Sitting in a cozy little cart waiting for Gaara and Naruto. "They're taking awhile. Do you think they're both alright?" Hinata asked, messing with her shirt.

I peered down at my bandaged wrist and sighed. "They're demons, Hina. I'm sure they're fine," I waved her concern off. "You should be worrying about us. These fuckin' demons just pop up out of nowhere," I sighed again, looking at my wrist for the second time. "Is your wrist bothering you again? They said they would protect us," Hinata reminded me, her face red.

"No, it's fine." I shook my head, waving her concern again. Our door suddenly opened and in came the two demons of our discussion. Naruto sat down next to Hinata and that left Gaara to sit with me. Not that I minded, or anything. I was simply wondering what exactly he felt for me.

He knew my name, but called me everything else because it's amusing. Whenever we were alone, he'd kiss me. Sometimes when I would walk by him, he would brush his hand against my skin. It scared the living shit out of me.

"How's your wrist, Xin?" Naruto asked me pleasantly. "Ah? It's doing fine, I guess." I shrugged, staring at my bandaged wrist. "I'm sorry we allowed that to happen." Naruto sighed, slumping his shoulders.

"It's not your fault. Neither of you knew two crazy demons were going to come after her. Don't beat yourself up over it," Hinata patted Naruto on the shoulder sweetly. I rolled my eyes, Naruto was enjoying her attention a little too much.

Gaara snorted next to me and I felt his fingers brushing against the skin of my legs. I blushed heavily, maybe I shouldn't have worn shorts on this trip. The whole way he way going to touch me, I could feel it.

"You think I'll be hunted down during this trip?" I asked, reclining my head back. Gaara folded his arms across his chest and glanced at me. "Do not worry about something like that. You will be fine." Gaara assured me. But I still felt a little worried.

A moment later, I stood up and patted my ass. It was going numb from sitting all day! I stretched and let out an awkward little moan. "I'm going to go get a drink, I'll be right back," I told my three companions.

"Woman…" Gaara started to get up. I waved it off. "I'll be right back, I swear. Stay here with those two," I jabbed a thumb at Naruto and Hinata. Those two seemed quite interested in one another.

Slamming the door shut behind me, I walked towards the dining area, finding a bar. I slumped down on a stool and ordered three shots of Bacardi 151. I was downing my second shot when someone sat down next to me.

I glanced at him but didn't find anything wrong about him. He had dark hair and pitch black eyes to match. He didn't seem to be suspicious. Sometimes I need to stop being so stupid.

"Are you traveling by yourself?" He asked just as I picked up my third shot. I paused and looked at him. "Uh, no. My friends are back in our cart. I just needed a drink," I shrugged, motioning to my shot. "Don't be freaked out," He said quickly, giving me a smile. "You're a lovely lady and I thought it was weird that you're at the bar alone," He informed me, glancing at my shot.

"Oh. Well, no. I'm not alone," I smiled back at him and then downed my shot. "Ah. And what are you drinking tonight?" He asked, seemingly interested in my choice of alcohol. "Bacardi 151, it's kind of strong."

"Ah, where I come from, we don't have different flavored alcohol. We just have sake," He continued to talk to me despite my short answers. "Really? Where are you from?" I asked in interest. "In a far away place. I'm sure you've never been there. But I'm sure your two male friends have."

I stared at him. I felt my stomach drop to my feet. Ah, fuck. Can't go anywhere without being hunted down by a demon, huh? Maybe I should've stayed back with the others. Or, at least asked Gaara to come with me. I'm pretty sure no one would approach me if I would be standing with tall, dark, and handsome.

"Could you excuse me for a second?" I smiled nervously and got up before he could reply. I don't know why, but I went into the opposite direction of where Hinata and our demons were. Maybe I didn't want to lead him towards my sister? I don't know…

I sped through the train, glancing behind me to see that demon was indeed following me. I could see the dangerous killing intent in his eyes. This fucker wanted to kill me and wanted to kill me now.

I made it to the very end of the train, which turned out to be the kitchen area. Looking around, I huffed. Of course there was no one back here. That was rather cliché. Chase the heroine to a place where they should be people, but turns out there's none around.

I slammed the door shut. But as soon as it closed, it burst open. Now, Jerry would never condone this move but I'm sure he'd understand seeing as how my life was on the line. As soon as it burst open, I spun sharply and kicked that fucker in his throat. It caught him off guard and that allowed me to slam my elbow into his neck.

As he tried to get himself together, I backed away. His eyes shot towards me and I jumped, scared. "You've got some fight in you. I like that." He chuckled out, his voice coming out a little wheezy.

The demon charged at me and I reacted quickly by pulling a dining cart in front of me. He stumbled and nearly tripped over it. But with a growl, he threw it aside and slammed his arm into my side. I collided into the sink, shrieking from the pain.

I rolled to the side of the cramped walk-space so he wouldn't stomp on my freakin' face. Jumping to my feet, I punched him twice in his face and ducked one of his blows. A second later, I felt the sting of him backhanding the shit out of my face.

"Tough girl," He grinned and grabbed the front of my tank top. He lifted me off of the floor and tossed me into the wall by the door. Again, I yelled out in pain and crumbled to the floor in a heap.

_Fuuuck._ Fuck. He was coming towards me now. I was going to die now. At least I put up a good fight, right? As he advanced on me, I kept my eyes trained to him. I hope my fuckin' _(red and throbbing) _face would burn into his memory and he would feel guilty later for murdering me.

But the door banged open and we both turned to see a very annoyed-looking Gaara. I sighed heavily in relief. I somehow managed to avoid death for the third-time. I was pretty damn good, I'd like to think.

"Kankuro? What do you think you're doing?" He asked slowly, looking down at me. "You know him?" I asked just as slowly. "He is my older brother," Gaara answered, crouching down next to me. "Father sent me to kill her," Kankuro shrugged like it was normal. I guess it was to him.

"Your brother…." I mumbled, feeling Gaara grab my arm and look at my bad wrist. "Are you injured besides your wrist?" Gaara asked me, touching my face. He frowned, noticing just how red my cheek was.

"I'm fine," I replied out of breath. He stared at my face and helped me stand up. Once I was on my feet, he pushed me behind him. "If you touch her, Kankuro….I will kill you. She belongs to me."

Kankuro was still grinning like an idiot. "You never liked to share as kids," Kankuro laughed out. "This isn't funny, you psycho! My cheek stings!" I snapped from around Gaara's arm.

"Oi, you were the one punching me in the face," Kankuro suddenly grumbled, rubbing his face. "I didn't know the human that's caught your attention was such a fighter. I like her," He began to laugh again.

"But you want to kill me?" I said slowly, curling my hands around Gaara's arm. Kankuro looked thoughtfully for a moment. "No, I won't kill you anymore. I like you too much," Kankuro waved it off.

I looked at Gaara, wondering if his brother was telling the truth. "If you have no other business to attend to, I suggest you leave before I kill you," Gaara threatened, turning away. "Will do. Nice meeting you, little human." Kankuro waved at me just as Gaara pulled me away.

"You shouldn't go off by yourself anymore," Gaara told me as he pulled me back through the train. "I just wanted a drink," I whined, holding my cheek. Jesus, he slapped the living hell out of me.

Gaara sighed and paused just a bit from our private cart. "Your cheek is bothering you?" He asked, touching the red skin. "It just stings," I grumbled distastefully. "No more going off by yourself," He growled, caressing my face.

"Alright," I slumped my shoulders. It didn't surprise me when he took this little chance to kiss me. And maybe I wanted him to take the chance cuz' I threw my arms around his neck, smiling into the kiss when he pulled me closer by wrapping his arms around my waist.

I forced my tongue into his mouth, wanting to be in the lead. Being the big bad demon that he was, his tongue pushed back at mine. I don't know how long we stood there battling for dominance, but I pulled away.

Of course, my face blushed heavily. "I thought you said Xin was being hunted, Gaara. She seems fine to me," Naruto laughed from behind us. I shrieked in surprise and back away.

Naruto was leaning out of our cart, Hinata doing the same. He was grinning and she was blushing. I slapped my forehead and groaned. "Shut up, Naruto." I grumbled, moving past Gaara to get back inside.

Idiot.

* * *

"Why is she posted here? It's such a small town," Xin said as Naruto helped her and Hinata off the train. "Tsunade does what she wants to do," He shrugged as he and Gaara looked around.

"We need to get moving," Gaara told the three, leading them into the direction. "Xin?" Hinata asked as Gaara and Naruto began speaking about something that didn't make too much sense to them.

"Yeah?" She glanced at her mirror image. "Are you and Gaara….are you in some sort of relationship?" Hinata asked her slowly, frowning. Xin blinked in surprise but then shook her head. "Uh, no. We just like to kiss…and to touch…" She laughed nervously.

"I see." Hinata answered primly. "Oh please. Don't act like you aren't attracted to Naruto," Xin snorted while folding her arms across her chest. "W-What? We just met two days ago," Hinata huffed in embarrassment.

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes and held her hands on her hips. "You two have a thing for each other," Xin waved it off. "Shouldn't you be kissing Gaara?" Hinata folded her arms across her chest.

Xin gaped at her but was interrupted by Naruto. "Girls! Don't fall behind!" He called from up ahead. "Ah! Sorry!" The two exclaimed at the same time while running to catch up with the two demons.

* * *

"Tsunade? Are you here?" Naruto shouted as they stepped into the rural home. "Maybe we should've knocked," Hinata tapped her lips. "No need. She knows we're here," Gaara replied coolly with his arms folded.

And sure enough, a door banged open and out trotted a woman. She was only a little bit taller than the twins. She had long blond hair tied back into two pigtails and big hazel brown eyes. A purple rhombus sat in the middle of her forehead.

"Jesus, your breasts are huge!" Xin remarked, looking down at her own breasts. Amazing, someone actually had bigger breasts than she and Hinata. "Bigger than mine," She hummed, holding them. The woman seemed a little baffled and Hinata slapped her forehead. "Please, stop playing with yourself," She mumbled, sliding her hand down her face. Gaara grabbed Xin's wrists and pulled them away, giving her an odd look.

"Traveling with humans?" The woman said slowly, still staring at Xin. "I expect this from Naruto, but not from you, Gaara." She remarked blandly. "The circumstances are unique," Gaara shrugged in boredom.

"I think the rumor is that I seduced him," Xin grinned, rubbing the back of her neck. "Yes, Sakura has mentioned that," Tsunade nodded sagely, sitting down and motioning for everyone to follow her lead.

"Now, what is it that you need? I'm very busy," Tsunade sighed, relaxing into her couch. "Busy drinking sake?" Naruto asked sourly. Tsunade scowled at him and threw a dusty book at him.

Hinata squeaked as the book slammed into the demon's face next to her. "What I do in my time is none of your concern you knucklehead," Tsunade grumbled, rolling her eyes. "How heavy is that book?" Xin mumbled, looking at the book.

"Anyway," Gaara sighed out in a grumpy manner. "I wanted to know something about Konoha's history," He looked at the older woman, who frowned in curiosity. "There used to be priestesses in the demon world, correct?"

Tsunade shifted in her seat, still frowning. "That's correct; they were the only priestesses in the demon world. But only the females had that role. But they died out many, many years ago." Tsunade answered, waving it off.

"Tsunade-San? May I ask….what caused the priestesses to die out from the demon world? Was there a specific reason?" Hinata asked shyly, rolling her lips together nervously.

"You do not need to address me as that, child," Tsunade gave Hinata a small smile. "But, the cause of them dying out of the demon world was the fact that the world became to impure for their souls. Priestesses were known to have the purest souls throughout the human race. The demon world became too toxic for them to reside there. Most of them died out but I believe there might have been some that migrated to the human world."

"What a shame," Xin mumbled under her breath, picking at her nails. Hinata gave her a look and plucked her sister's arm. "Is there a reason why your four are inquiring about a nearly extinct race?" Tsunade asked with a blank expression.

"I don't think their race is entirely extinct," Gaara replied coolly. Tsunade smirked at him, leaning forward to rest her hands on her knee. "Oh? And what makes you believe they aren't entirely?"

Gaara glanced at the twins. "Hinata hasn't shown any signs of it, but the other day while Gaara and Xin were arguing, she grabbed his arm and tried to purify him," Naruto told the older blond with a grin.

"You tried to purify him?" Tsunade asked Xin blankly. "I didn't purposely think _'oh hey, let me purify his ignorant ass'. _He made me angry, so…I attacked him and grabbed him. And I guess my anger manifested and was strong enough to start 'purifying' him," Xin explained quickly, huffing and puffing as she did.

"What's your last name, girls?"

"Hyuuga."

Tsunade raised her blond eyebrows with a frown. "Well, that would explain it," She let out a laugh and got up. She vanished into a backroom and dug around, leaving the four adults to sit quietly.

"There's no doubt about it, you two are descendents from the Priestesses that once lived in the demon-world." Tsunade came back from the room, holding two scrolls. "I'm not exactly sure what you four have gotten into, but I'm sure you're going to need to learn this." Tsunade smirked, handing the dusty scrolls to the twins.

"What happened to your wrist?" Tsunade noticed Xin's bandaged wrist as the little human grabbed one of the scrolls. "Oh….Uh….Sasori tried to break my wrist as a warning, I guess?" Xin shrugged, frowning at her wrist.

"Sasori? Chiyo's grandson? Why is he attacking you?" Tsunade placed her hands on her hips. "Because all demons are insane…." Xin mumbled under her breath. "My Father sent him to warn her." Gaara rolled his eyes, plucking the side of her head.

"Stop plucking me!" Xin growled, shoving at Gaara's shoulder. Tsunade raised her eyes at Xin's motion. Gaara was allowing a mere human to snap at him and shove at him? Things were changing…..

"Here," Tsunade held her hand out from Xin. The big eyed woman frowned at her carefully but placed her hand into the older demon's grasp. Tsunade began to unwind the bandages from Xin's wrist.

The skin around her wrist was still bruised, changed into an odd purple color. Xin made a face at her wrist, disgusted with the color. Tsunade held her other hand over her wrist and allowed it to glow a faint green color.

Xin's wrist was tingling, which made her almost giggle. Tsunade looked at her in amusement but continued with healing Xin's wrist, watching as the purple blemishes began to fade back to a much paler color.

Hinata looked surprised along with Xin as the bruises finally faded away. "That was amazing, how'd you do that?" Xin exclaimed in question with a grin. "Baa-Chan is the best medical demon in the world," Naruto patted Xin on the shoulder.

"You could probably learn to do that. When you return home, open the scroll. And when you feel ready, return here." Tsunade instructed, pointing a manicured finger at the dusty scrolls in the twin's hands.

"Thank you. Believe me, we will."

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

Two days later and we were back in my apartment. Can you believe that? Two days without any crazy ass relative or something coming to rip my heart out and eat it. Gaara claims demons don't eat human organs, but I wasn't falling for that shit.

By now, my three guests had made themselves quite comfortable in my apartment. Hinata slept in my room with me, Naruto slept on my couch and I still have no idea where Gaara sleeps. I'm starting to believe that fucker didn't sleep at all.

But as of right now, we all sat in the living room. I was on the floor with Tsunade's scroll strewn across my folded legs. I was reading over the text, trying to understand how to manifest my energy to purify, but I was stumped.

Does gathering my energy have anything to do with my emotions? That's what I'm starting to think. Or maybe it's connected to my emotions because I don't have proper control over it.

I glanced at Hinata. She was reading her scroll, looking far more relaxed than me. I rolled my eyes. That perfect freakin'…._(I dunno) _Barbie doll. Yes, I know that sucked but I never had it in me to call Hinata a bad name. I mean, c'mon, look at her. Can you really look her in the eye and call her a bad word? I don't think so.

"Too difficult for you to fathom?" Gaara asked from above me. Craning my neck to look back at him, I scowled. "Shut the fuck up and mind your business." I snapped viciously. I don't have the time to be trading blows with his sour ass.

"Do you kiss your Mother with that mouth?"

"Shut up, Naruto. Don't make me box your ass."

"You got lucky, dammit!"

Smirking, I went back to my dusty scroll. Earlier, Naruto and I were play-fighting. He made the mistake of looking at Hinata. My sister was walking by, going wherever she was going. He glanced at her and I punched him in the jaw.

Naruto was not pleased. Gaara was amused. And Hinata pitied Naruto.

I thought it was rather funny. But clearly, Naruto didn't think it was funny. And I guess I could understand why. If his demon friends found out that little ol' me punched the living shit of his big bad demonic ass, he'd never live it down.

My smile fell when someone knocked on my door. I swear to God almighty, if that's another demon out for my blood, I'm going to kick the fucker in their jaw. Can't I catch a break from these people?

"It's a human," Gaara nudged the back of my head. I blinked in confusion. Now, who could that be? If it's that creepy guy who likes to sniff hair, I'm going to sic Naruto and Gaara on his ass.

I climbed to my feet, pushing the old scroll off to the side. Now, before I tell you whose at the door, let me just make this clear. I am not disrespectful, really. My parents raised me into a respectable person. For serious.

When I opened the door, I was not expecting to see my Mother.

Usually, my family calls before they visit. Why? Because when they visit, I'm usually asleep. They're morning-people. I'm not. So of course they call my home-phone to make sure I'm awake and I can let them in.

Clearly, my Mom is too good for that or something.

Mom looked at me with a frown, and then looked around me. Her eyes landed on Hinata first, then to Naruto _(who was sitting freakishly close to Hina) _and then to Gaara. Her dark eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

I reacted without really thinking it through.

I slammed the door in her face.

Hinata gasped from behind me and my Mom squeaked from the other side. Naruto let out a rude laugh and Gaara snorted. It's not like I meant to slam the door in her face. How the fuck was I going to explain these two to her?

"Unxinnu? Why would you slam the door in my face? You open this door right now, young lady!" Mom demanded from the other side, angrily knocking on the door. God, she pulled out the 'Mom' tone on me, you'd think she'd quit that. At twenty years old, it didn't scare me too much anymore.

"_Unxinnu_? That's your actual name?" Naruto scoffed loudly, grinning widely. "Shut the fuck up before I throw all of the ramen out the window," I hissed back at him, laughing when his eyes grew wide.

"_Unxinnu!" _

I blanched and yanked the door open, stepped into the hallway and snapped the door shut behind me. An uneasy smiled settled over my face as Mom stared me down, arms folded over her chest.

"That was extremely rude, Unxinnu. Honestly, you'd think with all the etiquette classes you attended as a child you have more sense not to slam the door in your own Mother's face." She began to scold me.

"_She took etiquette classes? I couldn't tell."  
_

Ooh, I was going to stab Naruto with a rusty fork when I had the chance.

"Sorry Mom. You didn't call and I was surprised and acted on an impulse," I explained quickly, looking down at my feet. Mom sighed heavily and dropped her pose. "I was worried. You girls haven't called or come by for quite some time. I went over to Hinata's first, but she wasn't there. I didn't know she was here with you."

"Yeah…she decided to come hang out with me..." I trailed off, glancing down the hall. The last thing I needed was a demon trying to eat my throat in front of my lovely Mother.

"And those two other boys?"

I sputtered and nearly choked on my spit. "Uh…what other boys?" I tried to play it off innocently. "You can't fool me, dear. I saw the two of them. One had blond hair and the other has red hair," Mom smirked at me.

Leaning my head back, I blew through my mouth. "They're um…friends from college. Hinata and I ran into them earlier and invited them back to catch up." I don't know why exactly I lied.

Oh, wait. Yes I do.

How the fuck was I supposed to explain that these two were demons? And that one of them originally wanted to kill me along with the rest of the humans off and the other had come to stop him. But now they stuck around to make sure I didn't get my heart ripped out and eaten by other demon lackeys sent off by a pissed off King with too much time and hatred on his psychotic hands...

In the middle of my musings, I paused. I wonder if Mom knew anything about the whole us being decedents of ancient mikos from the demonic-realm. Maybe Grandmother had told her something.

"Mom? Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes?"

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. "Do you…um…know anything about mikos?" I asked her slowly, watching her face for any signs. There was none except for the slight twitch of her eyebrows. "Mikos?"

"You know, like priestesses? They purify evil spirits?"

Mom looked around, as if someone walking by would care about what we were talking about. "Why are suddenly interested in mikos, Xin?" She asked carefully, eyeing me. I felt nervous under her questioning gaze.

"I was curious."

"Does this have anything to do with those two fellas you left inside with Hinata?" Mom demanded to know in an odd voice. First of all, leave it to my mom to say something like 'fellas'. And second, holy hell, has she figured it all out?

My face was putting on a weak smile. "What do you mean?" I asked slowly, shoving my hands into my pockets. "Nothing, really." Mom replied back just as slowly as I had. She glanced at her watch and looked back at me.

"Oh my, it's gotten awfully late. I've got to run dear. Tell Hinata I love her and give her a kiss for me, alright? Oh! And don't forget about Hanabi's upcoming recital. Hiashi and I expect both you and Hinata to support your sister, understand?" Mom suddenly insisted, kissing me on the cheek before moving away.

"Ah, and before I go…" Mom paused, her back to me. "If you'd like to know more about or past history, I suggest you contact my Mother," She glanced at me over her shoulder. "Be careful, dear. Our history isn't as normal…" She trailed off mysteriously before leaving.

"….The fuck?"

I stared long and hard at my phone when I stepped back into my apartment. My three roommates were all staring at me, waiting for me to speak or something. Hinata was probably wondering what happened with Mom.

"Xin?"

"Yeah, Naruto?"

"I'm not entirely sure of human technology, but I'm pretty sure staring at it won't make it ring."

"Fuck off."

Hinata sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Xin? What did Mom say to you out there?" She asked; worry tinting her usually sweet voice. "And what's up with your real name? How do you even spell that?" Naruto snorted from next to her.

I turned around to glare at him. "Shut the hell up, you fox-reject." I hissed, motioning to those fox-like whiskers on his cheeks. "Oi! I am not a reject!" He snapped back at me, sticking his tongue out.

"Whatever," I flagged him off and then turned to my sister. "Hanabi has a recital coming up. We're expected to go," I said blandly, hands folded across my chest. Hinata stared at me with that _'quit bullshitting me, bitch'_ look.

"What's Grandmother's number?"

* * *

Kiyone lived life peacefully. She resided in a lovely house with her husband; all her children were successive and lived a luxurious life, the family business was still strong and all her grandchildren were healthy, intelligent and had promising futures.

But there was one grandchild she tended to worry about.

She was reading a rather hefty book when a maid knocked on the door politely. "Kiyone-Sama? There's a phone call for you," She told her employer. Kiyone glanced up, frowning as she did so. "Who is it?"

"Your granddaughter, Unxinnu-Sama."

Kiyone placed her book down and took the phone from the young maid, nodding for her to go. Kiyone loved her granddaughter and she loved Kiyone back, but she didn't often get calls from her. She glanced at the wall clock. It was far too early for Xin to be awake.

"Xin? Is there something you need?"

"_It's lovely to know you haven't kicked rocks yet, Grandmother." _

"Is that you're way of saying you're glad I'm still alive?"

"_Of course, oh honorable one."  
_

"What is it that you need, young grasshopper?"

Her granddaughter paused on the other line. Kiyone frowned, it wasn't like her loudmouthed and opinionated granddaughter to be silent for too long. She heard someone in the background and then heard Xin hiss at the person to shut up and to mind their own business.

"_Grandmother, could you tell me about the Hyuuga's past?" _

"Our past? Girl, you know everything there is to know about our past. I'm sure Hiashi has told you all about…."

"_Grandmother, that's not the history I'm asking about…" _

Kiyone paused, frowning. What the hell has Xin gotten into in the past month or so? The true history of the Hyuuga family is kept under wraps and away from the younger generation.

"What have you gotten yourself into, girl?"

"_Grandmother, I know about our miko heritage."_

"Have you recently come into contact with the supernatural, my girl?"

"_Something like that."  
_

Kiyone sighed heavily, pressing her hand to her forehead. She knew Hinako had something to do with this. She was going to kill her youngest daughter when she got her hands on her.

"What do you want to know?"

"_How do our abilities work?" _

"Xin, dear. What are you trying to accomplish? You and the younger generation were not told of our miko heritage because there is no reason to because those beastly demons have stayed in the realm, content."

Her young granddaughter paused again on the other line. Kiyone was sure Xin was rolling her lips together, a habit she possessed since she was a young child.

"_Grandmother, I need to learn how to control it." _

"I don't know what you've done, but you're a fool to be messing with the supernatural, girl."

She heard Xin snort in laughter. _"I'm just a holy fool, oh baby, it's so cruel. But still in love with Judas, baby." _Xin sung to herself, causing Kiyone to roll her eyes. "Focus, girl." She snapped into the phone.

"_Sorry. But that's the way I am. Getting back on topic, a couple of days ago a nice demon-lady gave Hinata and I these dusty old scrolls. They're about mikos and all that good shit. Eh…excuse my language. I've read the text over a thousand times but I can't seem to get it." _

Again, Kiyone rolled her eyes. This is why she worried over her granddaughter. She was an idiot. Well, it wasn't entirely Xin's fault. She grew up believing she and her sisters were normal humans.

She was still an idiot though. "Did you ever stop to think you can't master it because of your nature? Your emotions?" She asked the younger woman. "You're too energetic, girl. Your mind wanders too much. Calm down and I'm sure you will be able to tap into it. If you don't, your abilities will manifest according to your emotions."

"_Makes sense. Thank you, oh honorable one." _

"Welcome you are. But just remember one thing, my dear girl. This is not a game. Messing around with your abilities and the demons will not be the wisest of choices. Think long and hard before you do anything."

"_I will. Thank you. Hinata says she loves you. I do too. I'll speak to you soon."_

Kiyone hung up the phone with a sigh. She glanced around the large room, a nervous feel growing in the pit of her stomach. "Something wicked this way comes. That girl is going to get herself killed," Kiyone sighed heavily.

"I blame that idiot Father of hers."

* * *

I growled for the tenth time that day and kicked the scroll away. Goddammit, no matter how hard I concentrate, I can't focus my energy like I want to. I rolled onto my stomach and buried my face into the floor, letting out a shriek of annoyance.

"Are you actually throwing a tantrum?"

"Naruto…."

"Gaara, your human is throwing a tantrum."

"How exciting."

Hinata and I had been trying for hours and guess what? Hinata's spiritual ability already manifested. It was generally weak at this moment. Naruto bravely allowed her to use it on him and it only stung him a little bit and left a small bruise that healed almost instantly.

I wasn't too surprised she had learned it first. As kids, Hinata was always better at things that dealt with control and had a much calmer mind and a better control over her emotions. Well, sort of. She got nervous easily.

But still, you get the picture.

"Everyone shut up and let me wallow, dammit!" I snapped at the three of them, digging my fingers through my hair. Hinata sighed heavily and moved over to me, crouching down and rubbing my back.

"Pitying yourself won't help, Xinny." She told me, pressing her fingers into my back. I purred, feeling my way too tense back relax under her prodding. "Uh…is there some weird incestuous sister relationship you two have that we don't know about?" Naruto asked. I wasn't too surprised. Naruto was a sweetheart, believe me. But he acted like a knucklehead. I wonder if it's just a show or he's really just the dumbest demon alive.

Hinata stopped and we turned to look at him. "Yeah, that's _soo_ gonna make Hinata want you," I mumbled sarcastically into my palm. Hinata blushed heavily, glancing between Naruto and I. "W-What?" She stumbled out, gaping. I opened my mouth to say something, but Naruto beat me to it.

"Shut up, Xin! I swear to whatever God you believe in, _shut up_!"

Gaara sighed heavily, moving towards me. He bent down and grabbed the back of my shirt. "Entertain the sane one, Naruto," He told the glowering blond demon, pulling me towards the door. "Are you suggesting I'm not sane?" I huffed just as the door closed behind us.

He dragged me to the roof and finally let me go. "Sit. Be quiet and concentrate," Gaara ordered me with a blank expression. "What the hell are you talking about? Concentrate on what?" I hissed at him, hands propped on my hips.

"On your abilities, you idiot." Gaara snorted, folding his arms across his chest. I shivered and wrapped my arms around me. The warm weather was beginning to melt into a chillier feel.

Sliding down, I pressed my back into the wall and ignored the icy ground. Slowly, I folded my legs underneath me. Now, concentrate on what? Anyone who knew me well enough knew I couldn't sit my jittery ass still for more than two minutes before moving around.

After two minutes _(didn't I say I couldn't sit still for more than two minutes?) _I started to shift and I let out an over-dramtic sigh. "Gaara?" I cracked one eye open just in time for him to turn to look at me. The fuck had he been staring at so intently?

For a minute, I glanced into the direction he had been staring in but I saw nothing. Despite the fact that I saw nothing, I knew something was over there. Why would he be staring so hard if there was nothing there? And I felt a pressure from that distant that was making me uneasy. I knew most likely it was a demon and that made me sick to my stomach. Probably another come to devour my fuckin' eyeballs or something.

I'm on to you, you sick demonic _freak. _

"There is nothing to be concerned about over there, Xin." He broke me out of my thoughts and I turned back to look at him. One thing I gathered from him is that he called me by my actual name when he was being dead serious. Now, I thought Gaara was serious _all _the time. But according to Naruto, Gaara was only being serious when addressed me by my actual name.

This guy is fuckin' weird. Hot. But weird.

I gave him a hard look but then dropped my gaze. "If you say so," I mumbled past slow lips. He probably wouldn't have heard me if he wasn't a demon. Good thing he was, huh? Yes, Yes. I would think so.

"If you say so. But, moving on. I don't get it. I've been concentrating and it won't work!" My shoulders dropped and I leaned my head into the stone wall supporting me. I was beginning to grow frustrated.

"Your emotions are all over the place. Unlike your sister, your abilities respond more to your emotions. I'm assuming because you respond to everything based on how you feel while she responds to everything based on her thoughts, what she thinks." Gaara theorized, glancing into that direction again.

"You have to have a better grip on gathering your emotions. If you don't, it'll manifest at unfortunate times. Such as you getting too angry or becoming too frightened of something," He continued to pick at my flaw. My arms snapped up, folding across my chest. A heavy scowled marred my face as I stared at him. "So I'm too emotional. That's like, every woman's problem. What am I supposed to do? Completely shut my emotions down?"

"It's a possibility," Gaara shrugged without a trace of expression. I rolled my eyes and bit at my bottom lip in thought. I needed something that would gather my emotions and put them in a mental box. I need to calm down.

Without putting much thought to it, I started to think of a song Mom used to sing to me when I was kid. The song would calm me down, her voice would soothe me. She'd sit me down, drag a nice brush through my always messy hair and sing softly to me. And I'd be out like a light.

Perhaps if I sang to the song to myself, it would calm me down. Like a child with their teddy bear or a security blanket for a person. Hopefully I wouldn't fall asleep like I had done when I was a kid.

I started softly, humming to myself with my eyes closed. I ignored the quiet demon in front of me as I tried my best to remember those freakin' lyrics she'd sing to me.

_Dreaming of the stars on high  
That speak to me in secret sighs  
__Drifting on a breeze  
__Only I can feel and hear_

I sang and sang for hours. I sang until an ache began to bloom at my throat. Despite how sore my throat and jaw were becoming, it was working. At some point, I did relax. It felt like I took a big ass rubber band and snapped it around all of my emotions, pinning them together.

There was a pressure buried in my chest, it burned my being. Oddly enough, it felt good though. It felt right. The pressure spread through my body, from the tip of my fingers to the end of my toe.

I prodded at the pressure and felt it well up in my right hand. My arm tingled and for some reason, everything felt pure and….purple. Yep. Purple. Now, I'm not exactly sure how to describe that. I mean, c'mon. It's purple. How am I supposed to describe a freakin' _color_?

The feeling intensified and I opened my eyes, looking down at my tingling hand. A large crackling purple ball-thing was sprouting from my hand, my fingers. My eyes were wide as the ball of pure energy danced in my palm.

"Xin?"

My eyes snapped to Gaara and the ball of energy sank back into my hand. A loud squeal erupted and I jumped up. "Take that! Booyah! Who's the big man on campus now, mothafuckas?" I waved my arms around and literally bounced over to my demonic companion.

"Did ja see that? Great googly moogly! I'm a priestess! In your face, great-grandmother, I am worth something!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, throwing my arms around my blank-faced demon. His hand was on the base of my spine, but he wasn't jumping along with me. Leave it to him to not play along with me. I paused in my bouncing and looked at him, scrunching my face up in displeasure.

"Why aren't you jumping for joy?"

"Demons don't jump for joy."

"Have you ever seen one jump for joy?"

"No."

"Then how do you know they don't do it?"

"Because we don't."

My lips twisted up and I maneuvered from under his hand. "C'mon. Let's get back inside to Naruto and Hinata. We'll make some dinner to celebrate my genius brain and I'll make you some cookies."

"Genius brain, sure."

"Shut the hell up or no cookies."

* * *

_End P.O.V_

Meanwhile, as the two moved back inside the apartment building, a figure across the street from the apartment building leaned over the ledge. The finely-sculpted woman smirked secretly, resting her chin in her hand.

She shifted, sitting on the stone ledge. "These humans…" She mumbled to herself, watching through the windows of the building across the street. On the top floor resided that human, Xin with her sister and Gaara and Naruto.

The blond woman raised her eyebrows, watching as the Xin woman poked Naruto in the forehead. The sister _(whose name she was not aware of)_ quickly defused the oncoming argument between Xin and Naruto with a sweet smile.

Temari sighed heavily and watched her redheaded younger brother. Xin turned to him, smiling and saying something. Gaara retorted something and Xin laughed before moving out of Temari's line of vision.

"Gaara, what exactly do you think you're doing down here?" Temari sighed heavily, turning away. She knew Gaara was aware of her presence. Even though she had shrouded her body, he stared intently at her spot until that little woman had called his attention.

"I bet Mom would say you love that woman."

* * *

_TeeBeMe: My God, it was so hard to finish this. The computer kept shutting down and I had to keep rewriting it. It was such a hassle. I'm sorry for its lateness! And as for The Show Goes On, there was no June update because I can't seem to get anything done with it. It'll be out hopefully before July ends_.

**Xin: Her birthday is the 19th of this month! Be nice and wish a happy birthday along with you reviews, yes? **

_TeeBeMe: Yes, Yes. And oh! Does anyone know what kid's television show 'great googly moogly!' is from? And as for my poll on my profile. I'm writing a story for Ouran, since it has the most votes. Can anyone guess who the love interest will be? Afterwards I'm going to attempt to write a Yu Yu Hakusho story as well. I'd also like to try InuYasha. What do you guys think? Yes? No? Let me know!_


	5. Once upon a time we burned bright

_TeeBeMe: OMG, updaaaate._

**Xin: TeeBeMe does not own any of the official Naruto franchise. Just the OCs! Enjoy!**

* * *

"You two are going to be late if you don't finish quickly."

I stuck my head out of my bedroom door to glare at Naruto. "Hey? Um, Naruto? Could you do me a favor?" I asked innocently, waving to get his attention. He turned to look at my face, frowning. "What?"

"Could you…shut the fuck up?"

Gaara snorted from his spot at the window. "Should've been obvious she'd say that." He reminded Naruto, folding his arms across his chest as I retreated back into my room. I brushed my hair back into a complicated bun with a few strands of hair falling from it.

Hinata was just sliding into her modest black heels while I pulled on my dress. The two of us were getting ready to attend Hanabi's recital. I really didn't want to go, Hanabi was evil, you know, but Hinata and my Mother insisted that we come.

These past couple of weeks had been spent with Hinata and me learning how to control the miko abilities. Unfortunately, that meant Gaara and Naruto served as our guinea pigs. Yep, every time we believed we got better, we'd test the strength out on those two.

Gaara was becoming less willing than Naruto lately. The other day, I had to chase him around the apartment. He was becoming too much of a pussy, always insisting that I can learn my strengths without trying to burn his skin off.

Big ass baby.

"You know Dad is going to give you hell for that dress," I heard Hinata say to me as I fiddled with my phone. "Yeah? Well, I'm missing _Korra_ for this freakin' recital so he can kiss my shiny pale ass," I huffed back at her, shoving my phone into my purse. "Don't you think you're a bit old to be obsessed over a kid's cartoon show? And either way, you're recording it," Hinata pointed out. "It's not a kid's cartoon show, Hina. It's the _Legend of Korra_." I whined, opening the door.

"Well look what we have here. Xin actually looks presentable. You look lovely, Hinata." Naruto complimented my sister as she followed out behind me. Whoa. Back it up a sec. Did he just insult me? That fuckin' fox reject…

"And just what the hell are you trying to say, Naruto? I _actually_ look presentable?" I asked primly, deciding whether or not I should take my heel off and bash his fuckin' face in. "Well, most of the time you wear those…what are they called, dear Hinata?" Naruto glanced at my sister for help. "Ball-shorts and sweats?" Hinata innocently smiled. I turned to glare at her. Traitor.

"Yeah! Those awful 'sweats' you always wear! You look quite appealing in a dress," Naruto insisted with a smile. "Give him credit for trying, woman." Gaara advised from his post at the window. I think he was looking out for future visitors. You know the crazy kind that wants to devour my soul? Yeah, those kind. Naruto told me that demons did not eat actual human bodies or their appendages. They eat our soul.

Yeah…um….creepy.

"Guess you're right," I grumbled, watching as Hinata packed her things into a little black purse I lent her for the night. "Will you two be joining us this evening?" Hinata asked once she was situated. "We will be there," Gaara answered her. "You two just won't see us. Or your family." Naruto told us from his spot on my couch. His ass was beginning to leave an indent in my couch cushion. Heavy ass mofo.

Glancing at my watch, I realized it was time for my sister and me to be setting off. "Try not to get into trouble from wherever you'll be hiding," I sighed, waving them off. "We're going first! I'm sure you two will make it there without any problems, yes? See ya!" I waved at them and pulled Hinata to the door.

"Do we have to take your car? You drive that thing like a wanted fugitive…"

"Shut up."

* * *

I tapped my heel impatiently in between my parents. Hanabi was talented, she was. I wouldn't lie; she could play the shit out of the piano. But good God almighty, I was bored out of my freakin' mind.

I've always hated school functions. Sorry, I just couldn't stand it. I hated how the teachers sucked up to parents because they're rich. I hate the other snotty-nosed brats running around, and I hate sitting still. I just hate my life right about now. Hate the shit out of it.

Mom glanced at me and discreetly plucked the living shit out of the side of my head. I silently gaped, rubbing my head and looked at her. She leaned over towards me. "If you don't sit still, I'm going to cut off your legs and feed them to a lion."

You know, people often wonder where I got my rude and brash personality from. They wouldn't believe me if I said I got it from my lovely Mother. I mean, c'mon, who the fuck threatens to cut off their child's legs and feed them to a big ass cat?

Hyuuga mothafuckin' Hinako, that's who.

I quietly huffed to myself and slumped into my chair. "Sit up, Xin." Daddy grumped at me, giving me the stank eye. My eye twitched and I resisted the urge to throw off my shoes and throw a tantrum.

God, kill me now.

* * *

I hurried to the bathroom down the hall from the boring ass recital or whatever the fuck it was called. My heels made a loud clapping sound as I stomped to the bathroom to pee really fast and then to the sink.

As I focused on washing my hands, I didn't take notice to the woman standing behind me until I looked up into the mirror. She was standing on the opposite side of the room near the tampon vendor. Her arms were folded over her chest and she looked quite relaxed. Her hair was sandy blond _(which I found weird…cuz what Japanese person has natural sandy blond hair?) _and her eyes were what I assumed to be teal, a dark blue or something. And to top it all off, she was wearing a slim-fitting black kimono with a high slit and a red obi.

I sighed heavily, placed my hands on the lip of the sink and dropped my head down. Here we go again. "Really?" I sighed heavily. "Really? I mean, c'mon. You demons can't even leave me the fuck alone when I'm spending quality time with my family? Honestly, you demons have no manners, you know that? What the hell do you want? You gonna chase me around this fuckin' bathroom and try to eat my damn soul?" I started to rant at the woman, who stayed quiet the entire time.

"Cuz' let me tell you, she-demon, I will fight your ass back. I am not going down without a fight, you hear me? If I go down, I'm taking your ass with me. I will purify the living shit out of you, blondie!" I threatened her, spinning around to finally face her. "And who the fuck are you, anyway? Gaara hasn't mentioned any other female except for his deceased Mother. What're you, a cousin? A pissed off ex-girlfriend? I continued my rant, ignoring her amused expression. The woman pushed off from the wall, crossing the space separating us to stand in front of me.

Shockingly, she held her hand out to me. "It's nice to meet you, Xin. My name is Temari and I'm Kankuro's and Gaara's older sister," She introduced herself. I stared at her hand for the longest of times. "Older sister." I stated blandly, taking her hand and slowly shaking it.

I stared at our hands and thought to myself that it'd be easy to just purify her right now. I'm pretty sure that if I concentrated long and hard enough, I could probably take her down. If I could hold onto her hand long enough. Pretty sure she could shake my little ass off if she had to.

"Yes, their older sister," She replied slowly, nodding. My hand slipped out of her hand and I sighed heavily. "Look here, Temari? Now is not the time to attempt to kill me off. See, my family is waiting for me to come back to watch my younger sister finish her recital. It might be hard to do that if you suck my soul out through my eye-sockets and devour it as my empty carcass lies on the floor at your feet."

She was silent for a really long time, frowning at me. "You're quite disturbed, aren't you?" She asked after a long pause. I shrugged indifferently. "Comes with the charm." I replied blankly. Temari only sighed heavily. "How did you know I was a demon?" She asked me in pure curiosity.

"Well, for one: I've never seen a Japanese human with natural blond hair. Japanese humans tend to have natural dark hair, brown-to black, usually." I began to explain to her. "And two: your clothes. No one really wears kimonos anymore. We only wear them for festivals and stuff like that," I finished my explanation, shrugging as I do so.

She looked me up and down in my blood-red dress that showed too much cleavage and too much leg, as my Dad stated. "I see," She said rather slowly. I only narrowed my eyes at her. "Don't you judge me. I'm twenty and I'm hot. Don't judge me!" I pointed my finger in her face frantically. "Twenty, hot and still single?" Temari mused down at me. I suddenly realized just how tall this bitch was.

"You and Gaara are related, all right." I rolled my eyes, trying my best to ignore that she had taken a shot at my heavily-damaged love life. "I don't mean to be rude, Temari. Really, but is there anything you need to talk about? Cuz' if you're just stalking my life and my every move, that's all fine and dandy. Is it alright I get back to my family now? My sister will be on again soon." I pointed to the exit of the bathroom, indicating that my time to play was running low.

Temari glanced out of the window, which caused me to do the same thing. Fuck me, was there another monster out there ready to devour my soul? Probably. I rolled my eyes and mentally flipped them off. I didn't have time to deal with them.

"I came to warn you of something," She began to say, but I held up my hand to stop. "If you're here to tell me your Daddy, whose insane by the way, wants to kill me because I'm a distraction to your brother, who is _also_ insane, then save it. I know, someone is going to come eat my soul and use my finger to pick their teeth with it. I get it, I do. I don't have time for it. And please refrain from trying to break a bone or something like Sasori did. It's not pleasant at all and it's quite rude!"

Temari shook her head in disdain. "You humans, always jumping to your silly accusations," She let out a dry laugh. "I'm only stating what I've experienced in the past. Perhaps if you demons didn't go about things like a bunch of brutes, I wouldn't be jumping the gun when it came to you all." I reminded her, almost hissing at her.

She seemed surprised, as if something like that shouldn't have come out of my little mouth. But fuck that, I wasn't going to hold back. These demons do what they please, say what they want and have little regard for the humans. I'm simply treating them the way they treat us. And eye for an eye, right? A tit for a tat? Did I say that right? Cuz' what the fuck did they mean a 'tit for a tat'? What the hell is a tat and why is it the equivalent to a tit?

Temari shook her head, ruffling her four ponytails. "You misunderstand. I am not here on my Father's behalf. I'm here to warn you of Gaara." She told me in all seriousness. "Your brother? Gaara? Why, what's his problem? I mean, besides being a pompous stuck-up demonic freak? No offense."

"Do you always cut people off before they finish?" She asked me dryly. "Most of the time, yes." I answered back cheerfully. Temari sighed heavily and mumbled something, an insult, no doubt.

"My brother is not on the best terms with people from his past. Male and female alike. If you insist on continuing your…_interesting _relationship with him, you will receive many visits from demons. And not all of them are friendly like I am. I hope you know what you're doing, little one. It'd be a shame if you were murdered by a jealous person. You're very entertaining to watch. So, I suggest you study up on your miko ability and stay by my brother and Naruto, as well."

_Greeeeat. _

I sighed heavily, closed my eyes for a second. But when I opened them to look back at her and reply, she was already gone. I was in the bathroom alone and there was no signs that she had ever been there. I wondered if she ever was there to begin with. Am I just making shit up?

I'm losing my fuckin' mind.

I blame you, Gaara.

_End P.O.V_

* * *

Temari seemingly stepped out of the shadows as quiet as she could. But it was all in vain. She saw his shoulders tense up and his ears twitched, alerting him of her presence. Even as she walked closer to his back, he didn't turn to face her.

"What you're doing is considered stalking. Naruto says so." Gaara told his older sister, keeping his eyes trained to the building across the street from the building's roof he was residing on. Temari said nothing as she came beside him, resting her arms on the railing.

"It's not stalking if you know I'm there," She retorted back with a snort. "I spoke with your human toy," She said a moment later, glancing at him. "If she heard you refer to her as a toy, she'd scream her little head off and shove as many curse words in there as possible," Gaara told his older sister, watching through the large windows as Xin took her seat in between her parents.

"She's an interesting little doll. She's very aware of everything and doesn't sugar-coat a thing," Temari nodded her head. "She didn't seem to bothered that I could, and I quote '_suck my soul out through my eye-sockets and devour it as my empty carcass lies on the floor at your feet'_, end quote." Temari frowned, looking at Gaara. "Yes, up until awhile ago she believed other demons would eat her entire being." Gaara chuckled dryly at the memory of Xin insisting that something was going to eat her eyeballs or something.

"You seem quite taken with her," Temari observed the slight quirk of the corner of his lips. "She's entertaining," Gaara shrugged, the quirk quickly vanishing. "I gave her a warning you know," Temari glanced through the windows to see Xin standing up and clapping along with her twin and their parents. The two would be returning home soon and of course that meant Gaara and Naruto would be closely behind.

"And what warning was that?"

"About your past. You've angered a lot of demons from you past, little brother. I told her they would most likely come to harm her because of her relationship with you. It would be a shame if she were to die. No one wants the heroine to die, you know?"

"….I know."

* * *

Hinata watched nervously, opening the large windows in Xin's apartment. She screamed bloody murder when Naruto was suddenly squatting on the sill with her sister slung over his shoulder.

"You're scaring her, you idiot," Gaara noted sourly as he stepped through the window. "Sorry Hinata! Didn't mean to!" He said quickly, jumping into the apartment and deciding whether or not he should just drop Xin on the floor. "I-It's fine. Y-You just s-surprised me," Hinata began stuttering. "Hinata? You're stuttering, are you alright?" Naruto asked, shifting Xin's body to touch Hinata's reddening face.

Gaara watched in little interest as Hinata shook her head and backed away. A nervous smile danced on her face. "I'm fine! Really!" She twittered nervously. "Naruto, you're making her nervous. And you're going to drop Xin. We'll never hear the end of it if she wakes up after hitting her face on the floor," He reminded Naruto blankly.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at the slumbering female. He shrugged with a huge grin, jostling the little human. "Don't worry. I won't drop your precious woman," He joked with his friend, going over to the couch. "I will kill you in your sleep," Gaara growled back as Naruto carefully settled Xin on her stomach.

"Yeah, Yeah."

* * *

An hour or two later, Xin awoke with a groan. Her head was pounding and she had a sick feeling boiling in the pit of her stomach. All the lights were out in her apartment but she knew that she wasn't entirely alone. Damn it all to Hell, she just _had_ to stop at the bar for a couple of drinks, didn't she? She felt like complete and utter shit.

She stumbled over to her bathroom to vomit all the remaining acid poison out of her system. When she was finished with retching damn there her stomach out, she flushed the toilet and brushed her teeth. Xin groaned out and stopped at the doorway of the bathroom, leaning against the frame.

Xin nearly screamed bloody murder as she looked to her left and came face to face with Gaara. "What the hell! How long have you've been there?" She snapped at the demon, patting at her chest. It felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Gaara leaned against the wall, folding his arms and eyeing her carefully.

"I've been standing here since you started to empty your poisonous belly," He informed her with a blank stare. Her eyebrows scrunched together and she scowled. "Why?" She growled, wanting to pull her damn hair out. Why couldn't he be normal and just knocked on the door? He looked uncomfortable for a moment. "To ensure that you would not choke on your vomit and die," Gaara sighed in exasperation. Despite her head still hurting, she gave him a tired smile. "Aw, that's so sweet. You were concerned about me," She laughed, reaching over to playfully pinch his cheek.

Gaara growled, snatching her wrist up. "Silly little one," He rolled his eyes. "Quit calling me that," She grumbled, trying her best to yank her hand away. "You can't overpower me," Gaara let out a dry laugh, throwing his arm around her and pulling her close. "I could if I could just focus and purify your snide ass," Xin mumbled out of the side of her lip.

He snorted, rolling his eyes once more. "Where's Naruto and my sister? Did he kidnap her and eat her soul? You bastard, how could you let that happen? What's the matter with you?" Xin suddenly began ranting, barring her dull teeth at him. "Would you shut up? He did not devour your sister's soul. He discovered we did not possess any more of that 'ramen' you have him addicted to. So your sister took him to something called a convenience store to bargain for more."

"Don't you tell me to shut up, you horror-movie reject. I'm just worried for my sister," Xin huffed, trying to pull out of his hold. "Such a stubborn little girl," Gaara hummed, pressing his lips and nose to her neck. In turn, she instantly stiffened up and set her lips in a firm line. He was in one of _those_ moods again.

"Let me go," She sighed heavily, trying to pull her arm from his grasp. At some point, Xin had realized that their weird touchy-feely relationship wasn't any good for her. It's not like Gaara actually had feelings for her; he was just messing around to entertain himself. She couldn't allow herself to develop any feelings for him because he would just eventually crush them into pieces.

"No," He breathed back, turning them around so she was pressed into the wall. Xin scowled harshly and attempted to detangle herself from his hold. But Gaara only smirked in amusement, pressing her smaller form to him. But she wasn't ready to give in, so she placed her small hands on his chest in order to keep him from leaning into her.

"I mean it, Gaara. Let go of me," She hissed between clenched teeth. She was trying her hardest to mask her attraction to him with annoyance, but he was seeing through it with ease. "I mean it as well, Xin. No." Gaara mocked her with a smirk, fingers toying with her hair. Xin scowled at him, knocking his hand from her hair away. "Stop that!"

He eyed her in the dark, sky blue eyes clashing with lavender eyes. "So," He began shortly, running long fingers up her arm. Gaara touched her shoulder, curling his finger under the fabric of her rumpled dress and pulling it down a few inches. "This does not excite you?"

Xin flushed under his gaze and turned to stare down at her dress. It was slipping off her shoulders and down her arms. Her face burned uncomfortably but she was determined not to let him win. There was no way she was going to let him toy with her body just because he was bored. She wasn't a toy, no matter how fun her body looked.

"O-of course not! It's not like I'm a virgin or anything. I have been undressed before," She scoffed snidely, shrugging her shoulders. Gaara narrowed his eyes down at her. Clearly the thought of her having sex with someone else displeased him quite greatly.

With a sudden jerk, her dress was off. Once she realized that the only thing that was shielding her modesty was a flimsy little bra with a matching thong, she screamed and blushed. Xin shifted her body, leaning forward to cover her breasts with her arms the best was she could. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She shrieked, wanting to punch that damn smirk off his face.

"You said you've been undressed before. What's different now?" Gaara crooned ouy, grabbing her wrists and forcing them away. "You can't do this," Xin hissed, realizing she was at his mercy. He had the grip of iron and no matter how hard she pulled, he wasn't budging. He was right when he said she couldn't overpower him.

"I can smell your arousal, you know," Gaara added casually, one hand dropping down to draw patterns on her bare leg. Xin paused, her face frozen in horror. "Kami-Sama, you're lying! You can not!" She argued back, hoping that he was lying. "I can," He smirked, suddenly grabbing her leg and pulling it around his waist. "I can smell it right now. I smell it when you think of me in the shower; I smell it when you're in your bedroom by yourself. I can smell your _desire _for me," He whispered sensually into her neck, causing her to whimper.

She could feel his fingers digging into her hip and she was sure it was going to be bruised later. But that was the last thing on her mind at the moment. "Whattaya want from me?" Xin slurred, digging her nails into his skin as he nipped and sucked at the sensitive skin of her neck. For a split second, she felt him smirk on her skin.

"Let me have you," Gaara growled, grinding his hips into her. A wave of pleasure erupted to her core, causing her to lean her head into the wall and moan out to him. He was nuzzling into her neck while she desperately tried to come up with a coherent answer.

The little human gritted her teeth and tried to concentrate. "You only want me in a sexual way," She forced out finally. "If that's the case, then **no**. You can't have me," She was able to hiss out. "I'm not going to let you mistreat my body just because you haven't had any sex in awhile. If you only want me for my body and not everything else, then _fuck off._" She continued to hiss back, bucking her hips against him to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Gaara paused, thinking her words over. "And if I tell you that I will no longer be entertained without your body? What will you do then? It means I can kill your pathetic race, does it not?" He reasoned with her, kissing up her neck to her mouth.

Xin paused, this time it was her thinking his words over. Would she really be that selfish? But that wasn't fair, giving herself up sexually because he was bored? Her Mother had taught her to only have sex with a person if she loved them. And all her ex boyfriends that she had sex with, she loved at some point or another.

She focused on Gaara's blank face. Did she love this demon? She was attracted to him, she liked him enough. He sure as hell kept her entertained, always willing to bicker with her. But could she say she was in love with him? Did she want to have sex with him knowing he didn't love her?

"Gaara, I can't. I just can't." She shook her head, wanting him to release her so she could just scurry off to her room in shame. His finger dugs into her skin again, and she was pretty damn positive she'd have some mighty fine fingerprint bruises on her hip in the morning.

"If you _can't_, then stop _tempting _me." Gaara snapped in her face. Xin frowned in confusion, taken aback by his words. "_Tempting_ you? I'm tempting you? You're the one stripping me and pinning me to walls, all the while grinding the shit out of me and licking me and biting me! If anything, _you're_ tempting _me_!" She snapped back.

He growled again and kissed her so hard. So hard and rough and just….like an animal. She's trying her hardest to keep up, to battle his tongue that was invading her mouth. But his frustration and lust for her was too much. And she suddenly realizes how easy it would be to just throw her down to the floor and have sex with her. But that was rape, right? Because she firmly told him she would not give anything up to him. But would she give it up if he had done that?

_Yes. _

And she felt extremely ashamed for that.

* * *

Hinata watched sleepily as Xin rolled out of bed first. By the time she and Naruto had return from the store with armfuls of ramen, Xin was already asleep and Gaara was perched on the roof. She had glanced at Naruto, and they both knew something had been up.

Xin stood up, looking around for a robe or something to throw over her self so she could make her way to the bathroom. Hinata eyed her sister, stopping at her hips. Five finger like bruises marred her sister's usually pale skin.

"Xin?" She stopped her sister just as she was about to pad out to the bathroom. Xin twisted around, hands crossed over her chest. "Yeah? What's the matter?" She asked lazily, uncrossing her arms a second later. Hinata worried her bottom lip, chewing on it until it almost bled.

"Did something happen last night? And where did you get those bruises on your hips?" Hinata asked slowly, hugging a pillow to her chest. "No, nothing really happened when you guys were out. I slept on the couch, woke up to throw up and then went back to sleep in here. And I dunno, maybe I got them from boxing," Xin explained, quickly opening her door and darting to the bathroom.

Hinata frowned, resting her chin on the pillow. She knew there was more to that. And she knew those bruises weren't from boxing. She'd seen pretty much all the bruises Xin could get from boxing and there was no way in hell she could get finger print bruises on her _hips_.

When Xin was done her shower and Hinata had also finished, sitting in the living room proved to be quite awkward. Clearly something had gone down between Xin and Gaara. They were sitting far from each other and refused to make a sound to acknowledge one another.

Usually, Xin would sit on the floor by Gaara while she practiced her miko abilities. Then, when she was finished doing that, the two would engage in an insult match. After they bickered for some minutes, Xin would offer to cook something. And then everything would repeat.

But not today.

Today, Xin sat near Naruto on the floor. Almost like she was using the burly blond as a shield. Was she afraid Gaara was going to attack her? Hinata couldn't fathom why but Naruto had somewhat of a clue. He could smell the mix of their scents.

Normally Xin had some trace of Gaara on her person. But this time it was different. This time he smelt their scents _mixed together_. And the only time he could smell a scent mixing together like that was when two people had sex with each other.

But Naruto paused during his thoughts. He could tell the two hadn't had sex. The two just seemed too angry and fed up with one another to have just had sex. Gaara should have been more relaxed and Xin should have been giggling or something like that. Instead, they were going out of their way to ignore each other.

"Um, you guys?" Hinata suddenly called for their attention. Naruto inched closer to the small maiden, fearing for her safety. "A-Are you two okay? You seem quite….angry with each other…" Hinata trailed off in an unsure manner. She was such a brave soul even when she didn't sound brave.

"I'm fine," Xin huffed first, turning her body away. "I'm sure you are..." Gaara grumbled into his palm. "What's that supposed to mean?" Xin hissed, hearing him despite his muffled grumbling. "What. I was agreeing with you, you deranged little dwarf." He reminded her sourly. "You did it in a sarcastic manner." She snapped back, turning to glare at him.

Naruto and Hinata sighed as they two began to argue.

They should've just minded their business.

* * *

Sasori smirked from across the street, watching everything unfold through the large windows in Xin's living room. He saw everything from their sexual frustrated argument to the childish one they just had. He was having quite a laugh watching the young Prince and stubborn Miko.

"Silly little girl. You make this too easy for me. At least you're fun to watch," He chuckled in good nature, watching as Xin crossed the space between her and the demon prince. She was shouting something and stabbing him in the chest with her finger. In the middle of her ranting, Sasori watched as the Prince grabbed her wrist and jerked her body forward. She crashed into him quite ungracefully. But he didn't care; he simply silenced her ranting with a rough kiss to her pink lips.

Sasori's eyebrows quirked in interest as she yanked herself away moment later. Her face was burning red, her sister looked shocked and Naruto was watching quietly. The little human opened her mouth to shout at the desert Prince. Sasori was sure it had a lot of curse words in it. She then turned on her heel, grabbing her sneakers and stormed out of her apartment.

He was completely hidden out of sight as she came stomping out of the building, down the street and around the corner. Sasori's smirk stretched out into almost a sadistic grin. She was making this too easy.

Far too easy.

* * *

Xin didn't stop her stomping until she arrived at the little park ten minutes away from her apartment. She collapsed on the swing and wrapped her slim fingers around the cold chain. School had already started for young kids, which explained why the park was barren.

But Xin didn't care. Her lips were throbbing and puffy. She was sure they looked bruised. She must've looked like someone punched her in the lips. Well, she was a boxer. She could just tell people a sparring partner got a lucky hit in the face.

Xin groaned loudly, dropping her head and cradling it with her cold hands. Why was her life so difficult? Why did she have to be the one to put up with crazy, lustful and murderous demons? Why couldn't she just be normal? She didn't ask for this! She didn't ask for any of this! It just wasn't fair.

As she began to cool down from her tantrum, she noticed just how chilly outside it was. She hadn't grabbed a jacket on her way out the door. So that just left her in a pair of black skinny jeans, a blood red tube top without a bra and the sneakers she remembered to grab.

Damn, she really wished she'd grabbed her jacket. But she couldn't go back now; she'd give it another twenty minutes before she went back. In the mean time, she wrapped her pale arms around herself in an attempt to warm herself up.

"Cold, are we?"

She turned and nearly screamed her brains out when she came to look up at Sasori. Xin panicked and jumped up, nearly falling to the ground in her haste to get away from the demon. She remembered the familiar ache in her wrist, the pain _he_ had caused. The hell did he want now? Stomp on her fuckin' leg?

"Sasori, go away." Xin hissed out, her hand starting to glow that pretty purple color. Sasori eyed her glowing hand and simply gave a friendly look. "I'm not here to fight you, little one," He reassured her calmly. "Bullshit! You keep your crazy ass away from me, goddammit! You hear? I swear, I will go Hulk on your ass and hulk smash your ass to oblivion!" Xin threatened, knowing full well she was not capable of doing such a thing.

Sasori only chuckled and held his hands up in surrender. Slowly, he eased around the swing set to her. "See, little human? I wish no harm on you today." He told her again, towering over her. Her stomach dropped to her feet, despite his peaceful insistent, she felt nervous.

"I know the Prince must have hurt you," He whispered soothingly, slipping an arm around her waist. The human miko instantly tried to step out of his grasp, but he simply yanked her body to his, setting his arm into place around her waist. "Your feelings for him run deep, I can tell." Sasori said softly, caressing her cheek.

"It's such a shame that he'd throw your feelings to the dirt, don't you think? All he wants is a playmate, a toy." Sasori continued softly. "Such a pretty little human you are. He's a fool to only want you as a toy. A pretty little human…" He titled her cheek up and slanted his lips over hers.

Xin's eyes were completely wide, shell-shocked from the sudden affection from the other demon. She did not return his kiss nor did she push him away. She simply allowed him to do whatever. Just what was his angle? What was he going to prove by kissing her?

She suddenly felt something slip around her just under her breasts. And suddenly, she was jerked away only to crash into something that felt like a fuckin' sculpted rock. She craned her head back to stare into rage-filled sky blue eyes. Oh, holy hell.

"You sniveling bastard. Is this the work of my Father? Sasori, if you don't leave my sight right at this moment, I will torture you slowly to the brink of death, have Tsunade heal you back to full health to do it all over again." Gaara spat out, glaring a hateful stare at the older demon.

Sasori let out a dry laugh. He looked at Xin and smirked at her. He let out another snort of laughter before completely fading away. Before Xin could say anything, she was sharply wheeled around to face the wrath of a spoiled pissed off Prince. He grabbed her by her shoulders, squeezing so hard she let out a little yelp of pain. But he didn't care too much.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you not understand that you are _mine_? And that Sasori will **kill **you if he's given the opportunity? Do you not realize that, you idiotic wench!" He snarled in her face, shaking her for good measure. "I…I…told him to stay away from me…" Xin mumbled past swollen lips. Gaara scowled harshly down at her. "Yes, from what I could see, that sure as hell worked," He snapped sarcastically. "I just don't understand…" Xin mumbled again.

"Understand this when I tell you, Xin. Listen and listen well. No matter the situation, you are mine and only mine. If I see another man looking at you with lustful intentions, such as Sasori, I will end them where they stand and I will punish you. You are mine, you belong to me."

"I'm not a piece of property you can just buy!" Xin suddenly snapped, letting the depth of his words sink in. And when the fuck did she become his? Just because they kissed here and there a couple times didn't mean she belonged to him!

Again he kissed her roughly again. And she felt each and every emotion that was coursing through his veins. Lust, annoyance and pure **anger**. Xin gasped as he bit down on her bottom lip and then darted his tongue into her mouth. As he ravaged her mouth, Xin felt almost fearful for her life.

What if he lost control and just snapped on her one day? What if he forced sex on her and then killed her? Or just left her there to stew in her misery? Sasori had said all Gaara wanted was a toy. Was that all she was worth? Was she just a toy he would keep fucking with until he finally broke her and threw her away to rot?

Her arms slid up, locking around his neck. She kissed him back, not as angrily though. This relationship was fucked from the start. She knew in the end, she'd be broken and alone.

But she'd much rather be broken and alone from his hand than Sasori's hand.

* * *

_TeeBeMe: I know this is a lot shorter than other chapters, but bare with me. I don't want the whole plot coming into play in just one chapter! And to ** .Princess**: You are forever awesome for knowing Maggie and the ferocious Beast! I love you to death! And your guesses for Ouran's pairings were well-thought out but all incorrect my dear!_

**Xin: There was a lot of dialogue and monologue in this chapter. **

_TeeBeMe: Well yeah, I'm a humor writer but I do want to expand and take more serious steps in writing, what'd you guys think? Oh! And I'm wondering, did anyone catch **The** **Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spiderman, and The Avengers**? If you didn't, get your asses to the movies and watch all three if you're a comic book nerd like me! All were fuckin **GORGEOUS. **Batman was the best though, then the Avengers. I have a crush on Bane and Thor. And do any of you watch The Legend of Korra? You should**…**_

**Xin: Riight. Could you guys review and let us know if you'd like this short little chapter? Much appreciated!**


	6. You're just somebody that I used to know

_TeeBeMe: Another review!_

**Xin: TeeBeMe does not own the Naruto franchise. She only owns the OCs and this story. Enjoy!**

* * *

Xin hurried back to her apartment, surprised that Gaara opted to actually walk along with her. But she wasn't too surprised when he decided to be a reclusive jerk and stay out on the roof while she ventured into her apartment.

She flung open her door and kicked off her shoes. "You're back!" Naruto cheered as she came over to collapse on the couch next to him. She could hear Hinata shuffling around in the bathroom, so she didn't freak out when her sister wasn't in the living room with him.

"I know Gaara can be a bit harsh sometimes, Xinny," He began to tell her while patting her leg. "But he's a Prince, so you know; he's used to getting what he wants. What's that saying you humans like to use? Patients is a virtue or something?" Naruto babbled out, wondering if he said it right.

Xin chuckled but grinned at him. Why couldn't she have gone for him? It's too late now though. She could tell Naruto was attached to Hinata and in return, her shy sister was starting to develop some sort of feeling for him. So, Xin would stay out of that. She had her own mess to clean up.

"Can I ask you a question?" Xin asked just as he stopped patting her leg. He raised his blond eyebrows and shrugged. Xin twisted up her lips and her cheeks started glow a rosy color. "In the demon realm, what happened to the girls who rejected having sex with Gaara?" She asked, pushing her embarrassment aside.

Naruto looked quite surprised, staring at her. He rubbed the back of his head. Naruto was never one to be shy when it came to talking about sex. But he discovered that human women had more shame than demonic women. Then again, Xin had less shame than a human woman but more then a demon woman…

"Funny thing about that is girls don't really reject him on that," Naruto laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Are you serious? None of those bimbos told him no?" Xin gaped at Naruto and then leaned her head back on the couch. Naruto stopped his laughing to stare at her with a questioning look.

"Is that why you guys are trying to verbally claw each other's throats out?" Naruto gaped at her in sheer shock. "It isn't my fault I have some self-respect for myself! I'm not going to give my body up to a person who doesn't love me!" Xin huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I'm the victim here! I'm the one being pinned to walls and being attacked with murderous kisses and my hip is fuckin' aching because _somebody _obviously has a thing for being rough," Xin complained, slapping her forehead repeatedly. She sat there quietly when Naruto suddenly leaned forward, grabbing the front of her shirt.

Xin yelped when he yanked her forward and then threw her back on the couch. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She growled, struggling to crawl away. But Naruto placed his hand firmly on her stomach and pressed her down to the couch. He grabbed the hem of her jeans and yanked them down. "Oh my God, I'm not consenting! Rape! This is rape!" Xin started to squeal, trying to pull her pants back up.

Naruto ignored her shrieks, pulling the strap of her thong to the side to examine her hips. He frowned, running his fingers over her bruised hip. A moment later, he leaned away with a grin. Xin's eyes narrowed dangerously and she hurried to right her thong and then yank her jeans back up her hips.

"Was there a point to that?"

"I was just wondering if Gaara still had his habit of bruising his women."

"I'm not his woman."

"I think you are."

"Yeah? Well, I think you're an idiot."

"At least no one owns me."

When Gaara padded into the apartment, the last thing he expected to see was Xin on top of Naruto try to strangle the life out of him. He might have cared if Naruto wasn't grinning in his attempt to pry Xin off of his throat. Instead, he took a seat on the couch and continued to watch them.

However, when Hinata stepped out of the bathroom, she instantly frowned at the sight of the two fighting. "What are they fighting about?" She asked softly, sitting next to Gaara on the couch. Gaara turned to look at her and frowned to himself.

She and her sister were exactly alike. Down to the size of their hips to the length of their hair. If it weren't for the little things such as their different taste in clothing or the emotions in their eyes, no one could tell them apart. Their scents were even similar. Although Xin had a distinct spicy smell to her while Hinata's scent was much sweeter.

What he couldn't understand is why he wasn't attracted to Hinata. Obviously he was attracted to Xin; he wanted to fuck her after all. But when he looked at the soft-spoken woman next to him, no thought of sex came up. Yes, Hinata was pretty. But he still did not want to fuck her.

He shrugged a moment later; he'd just chalk it off simply because Naruto had an attachment to her. He would never fuck a woman that Naruto was wrapped up in. It was just wrong seeing as how Naruto claimed Gaara as one of his best friends. And Gaara could not do that to a best friend, even if he would never admit it.

"I don't know. I came in and they were already fighting," Gaara shrugged one shoulder and then turned back to the squabbling duo. It was quite entertaining. Xin's face was turning red. Whether it was because she was angry or embarrassed, he didn't know. Perhaps it was both.

"Could you stop them?" Hinata prodded at Gaara, unhappily watching as Xin tried to tear through Naruto's throat. If she didn't quit it, Xin would resort to biting. Hinata has seen her sister bite someone. It wasn't attractive, really.

Gaara said nothing but complied with her request. He didn't really want to stop the fight, but obviously it was making the kind one unhappy. And Gaara knew that if Hinata was unhappy, then Naruto would become unhappy. And that would mean he would start whining. Gaara couldn't stand when Naruto whined.

He bent over; slinging his arm around Xin's damn there non-existent waist and pulled her off of the cackling blond. She felt extremely light in his grasp and he wondered briefly how it was possible to weigh next to nothing but having swollen hips and a sizeable rack. Her rack, hips and ass must contribute to the majority of her weight, he was sure.

"Put me down!" She bellowed, struggling in his grasp. "Xin! Stop, he's only trying to stop you from fighting with Naruto!" Hinata suddenly shouted over her sister's whines. Xin was instantly quiet, pouting as Gaara turned and placed her on the couch and then sat next to her.

"Do you _have_ to sit next to me?" She hissed at Gaara, folding her arms and crossing her pale legs. Gaara found himself wondering how her legs would feel wrapped tightly around his waist while he slammed into her.

He growled a moment later, wanting that thought to go away. Xin misjudged it and thought he was growling at her. She bit her bottom lip and tried to scoot over but was trapped between the couch's arm and him. She sighed nervously, wondering what exactly was going through his mind.

The dark demon turned to her with narrowed eyes. Her lips were still swollen and he resisted the urge to run his clawed finger against them. "I'll sit where I please," He replied simply, although he spoke low and his voice sounded forced. She chose not to say anything. It's not like she cared anyway. She didn't. _Seriously_.

"Why were you guys fighting?" Hinata suddenly cut their staring contest short, ignoring the sexual tension between to the two. It was so thick, it made her uncomfortable. She wanted to get away from the two but she was sure if they were left alone _(cuz' Naruto_ _would follow her if she left, duh)_ nothing good would come of it.

"Cuz' Naruto was attempting to molest me. He pulled me pants down and my panties!" Xin said, pointing an offending finger to the blond who was still on the floor. Gaara and Hinata both turned to look at the blond. Hinata looked extremely horrified while Gaara looked as if he wanted to snap his best friend's neck.

"Don't flatter yourself!" Naruto cackled out, finally stand up to dust himself off. "I was merely checking to make sure her bruises on her hip wasn't too severe. You have a tendency to break your _possessions_." He grinned impishly to Gaara. Hinata's horrified look changed to shock as she looked around Gaara at Xin.

"Shut up! For the last time, I don't belong to him!" She nearly screeched and pulled her hair out in frustration. "You'd much rather belong to Sasori? Because he isn't as generous as I am, little miko." Gaara snorted while reclining into the couch.

"_Sasori_?"

Xin's face heated up in anger. "I don't belong to him either! I don't belong to anyone." She insisted in annoyance. "When I found her after she threw her tantrum, she was in the arms of Sasori, allowing him to kiss her," Gaara sourly explained to Naruto and Hinata.

"Are you sure you aren't a harlot? I mean because really, first you're here kissing Gaara and nearly having sex with him against a wall, then you're allowing some bastard to kiss you? Have you no shame, woman?" Naruto shook his head in a teasing way.

"First: I was not _allowing_ him to kiss me, it's not like I could push him away. Second: I'm **not** a harlot, you fuckin' reject. And third: I was not having sex against a wall, I was _pinned_ against my **will **while my body was being molested by this fuckin' freak here." Xin growled, wanting to just strangle Naruto.

"You were moaning and whimpering. Are you going to try to convince me you didn't enjoy what I was doing to you?" Gaara smirked at her, ignoring Hinata's heavily blushing face. It was quite obvious she was still a virgin. How cute. He wondered if Naruto would be the one to take it. "And you weren't doing anything to stop Sasori from kissing you, you shameless miko."

"No, I did not enjoy what you were doing. I refuse to have sex with you and you already know why. So if you could just shut the fuck up, that would be great. And I wasn't doing anything to stop Sasori because I was honestly surprised. One minute he's trying to break my wrist and the next he's kissing me in broad daylight. Mixed signals? I think so." Xin huffed, stabbing her finger into Gaara's arm for added effect.

"So, you enjoyed him kissing you?" Hinata asked quietly, pressing her hands to her mouth in embarrassment. "Of course not. I was simply caught off guard." Xin waved off her sister's question off somberly.

"If you had to choose between having sex with Gaara or having sex with Sasori, who'd you choose?" Naruto suddenly asked, sitting at Xin's feet and resting his head on her lap, looking up to her. Xin resisted the urge to punch him in his fuckin' face then shoving him off. But if she did that, Hinata would be upset. And Xin would hate to upset her dear sister. So she allowed him to stay.

"Neither."

"You have to choose one. Your life depends on it," Naruto tsked at her, shaking his head. Xin felt like a vessel in her fuckin' forehead was about to buss. She was sick and tired of dealing with this sex shit. Why was Naruto so interested in her sex life? And why did Gaara want to fuck her so bad? She was just a lowly human, a miko. He was a Prince in a whole different world. Demonic women _(who were probably far times prettier and sexier_ _than her)_ probably threw themselves at his feet daily. Why couldn't he just go back to his world and fuck whenever he was horny?

Why was he so stuck on her?

Not that she thought of herself as ugly and unappealing. She had a toned stomach, thick thighs, a fat ass and a nice rack to go along with it. Not to mention she was a pretty girl with bright eyes and plump lips with a button nose. Sure, she knew she was pretty and sexy. Not that she was conceited or anything. Okay...maybe she was. Just a little bit though.

But surely the girls from the demon world were far better.

"I mean, they're both crazy and get on my fuckin' nerves. But I know Gaara well enough. And he didn't try to break my wrist or anything…" Xin mumbled to herself, shaking the thoughts of her comparisons away. Naruto was grinning widely when she mumbled out her reply. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to have sex with you! So don't get any ideas!" Xin said quickly, pointing a finger at him.

Gaara only smirked lazily at her. "You keep telling yourself that, woman."

* * *

Xin sighed heavily as she slid into the plush booth across from her future cousin/sister-in law. Tenshi Tenten was a pretty girl. Her hair was a dark brown that was constantly tied up in two Chinese buns. Her chocolate brown eyes showered people with kindness and friendliness.

Xin adored Neji's fiancé.

Tenten idly flipped through her menu, wishing the restaurant had more of a Chinese variety. People thought Chinese food and Japanese food were soo similar. But they weren't, she could always taste the differences in the food. Where's the love for the Chinese? Jeez!

"You seem troubled. Something on your mind?" She asked the pale woman across from her. Neji's Mother, Yuka had called her and Neji the other day. She was telling them about how Hinako was worried over Xin. The young woman had been acting odd, asking strange questions and she barely came to visit her family as much as she used to.

Neji had told his Mother that he would talk to his headstrong cousin to see if she was doing well. But Tenten knew her fiancé wasn't the one who liked talking about feelings. What guy did? Hell, she didn't even like it too much. But she was sure something was bothering Xin and she wouldn't want to talk to her older cousin about it. So, she stepped in and asked Xin for a lunch date.

"Do you really want to know? Or are you just trying to be nice?" Xin asked sourly, looking at the alcoholic drinks. Tenten frowned and titled her head to the side. The pale woman knew her too well.

"Of course I want to know. Aren't you supposed to look at me as an older sister or something since I'm marrying Neji? And I don't understand how I'll be your sister-in law if Neji is technically your cousin…" She babbled out, her Chinese accent blending in with her Japanese.

Xin chuckled, resting her chin on her palm. "Hinata is my older sister. And technically, you would be our cousin. But because the Hyuuga family was a clan, he's considered our brother. It's weird." Xin shrugged in her explanation. Tenten sighed heavily and shook her head.

"Just shut up and tell me what's bothering you."

Xin bit in her bottom lip, trying to map everything out in her head so she didn't reveal any of the demon mumbo jumbo bullshit. "Well…I met this guy.." She began to say, only for Tenten to cut her off. "How'd you meet him?" She asked, flipping through the menu again. "I was going to visit my parents and he was…lost…and I offered him a ride.." Xin lied through her teeth. "Oh. Okay, continue."

"Okay, well he decided to stick around or something because he thought I was entertaining or something. Lately, he's become more attracted to me. But he only wants to have sex with me and that's it, I think. But I keep refusing. We're not together but he gets jealous if other men look at me and he's kissed me a couple times. I don't know how exactly I feel about it and it's bothering me…"

It was pretty much the truth. She just forgot to mention the part where he's a demon whose supposed to be destroying the human race. But that was just a small detail. It wasn't important.

"Do you like him?"

"I'm attracted to him."

"That's nice. But that's not the question I asked. Do you like him?"

"….Maybe."

Tenten leaned back in her seat, smiling at their waiter. She and Xin both ordered off the menu and waited until the cute waiter left them alone. "So, you do like him to some extent, right?" She asked once they were left alone.

"Well….yeah. Maybe. I think so."

Tenten shook her head with a smile. "For argument's sake, let's say you do like him, okay?" She sipped her drink while Xin eyed her glass of vodka. "I think you feel so bothered because you have deeper feelings for him than he does for you. Did he have a lot of girlfriends in the past?"

"You could say that…"

"Okay, well I'm pretty sure he's had sex with all of his past girlfriends. And the fact that you're refusing him serves as a challenge. He probably does like you or have deeper feelings but he's focused on breaking you because he probably isn't used to girls turning him down." Tenten theorized as Xin threw back her shot of vodka. Tenten was going to make sure Xin didn't get drunk at her wedding….

"His best friend did say girls never turned him down on sex…" Xin mumbled more to herself. Tenten heard it anyway and nodded sagely. "You're a challenge to him. If I were you, I wouldn't ignore his advances. I'm not saying have sex with him, just y'know…tease him," Tenten advised, smirking deviously. Xin grinned back at her just as their orders arrived. "Where do you get your deviousness from?"

"You, of course."

* * *

Xin sighed heavily as she strolled down the street. She should've drove to the restaurant or at least asked for a ride home from Tenten. But she didn't and now she was walking by herself to her apartment. She shoved her hands deeper into her pockets and sighed again.

The little woman didn't seem too shocked when Gaara's sister suddenly materialized next to her. "Is there something you need, Temari?" Xin asked blankly. "Just making sure you don't die out here by the hands on some crazy lunatic." Temari shrugged leisurely, causing Xin to frown.

"And why should you be concerned about me?" She asked slowly. Temari stared at her, causing Xin to feel slightly uncomfortable. "Because my brother likes you," Temari shrugged after a long pause. Xin huffed sourly, folding her arms. Temari chuckled at Xin's expression.

"You two are going through a rough patch in your relationship?" Temari guessed, noticing the annoying tic in Xin's face. "There is no relationship," Xin insisted with a snort, flipping her thick ponytail over her shoulder. Temari snorted next to the smaller woman. "Sure, no relationship."

Xin stopped outside of her building, glaring at the woman. "I'm serious, Temari. We have no relationship." Xin tried to convince the blond. Temari smirked and folded her arms. "If you say so, little one."

Xin only growled and stalked into her apartment.

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

I sighed heavily, pushing my soaking wet bangs from my eyes. Somehow, I managed to convince my three roommates to go to the gym by myself. The past couple of days had started to weigh down on me and I needed an outlet.

So, why not box the hell out of someone?

Hours had gone by and I was sure that it was probably going on midnight by now. I had already texted Hinata to let her know I was fine so she wouldn't freak out and send two demons after me. The last thing I needed was for those two idiots to show up here and cause trouble.

Jerry had left hours ago due to an emergency so he asked me to lock up the gym for the night. I had no problem with that; I had done it before a thousand of times. Tonight shouldn't be any different. The other boxers strolled by me, waving goodbye and telling me to be careful on my way home.

I might be able to kick half of their asses, but I was still just a little woman to them. I couldn't really blame them, I was a bit short. I only stood at a mere 5'2 inches. And according to them, I looked extremely innocent in the face. So, anyone could understand their constant worries when I insisted going home by myself at this hour.

I made sure the whole place was securely locked before stashing the keys in Jerry's hiding spot. As soon as I turned around, I spotted a woman coming towards me. I frowned to myself. Not a lot of women came to this gym, a boxing gym. I was pretty much the only female who constantly boxed here.

Sometimes someone's girlfriend would stop by to wait, but all the guys had already been long gone. "Hello, are you someone's girlfriend? Everyone just left so I guess you might have missed him," I rubbed the back of my head as she stopped in front of me.

The woman was about Temari's height with long wispy white-blond hair. Her eyes resembled a cat's and were the bloodiest red I had ever seen. Not that I'm being jealous or anything, cuz' this bitch was bad as shit, but I didn't trust the way she stared down at me. It almost seemed like she was angry and disgusted. But I didn't know this woman. The fuck had I done to her?

"You are Xin, correct?" She asked me, her voice coming out in a hiss. I stared at her long and hard and suddenly put two and two together. Oh hell no. This bitch was a demon. What normal human had fuckin' blood red eyes? None. She was a demon. Good God, the fuck did she want?

To kill me, duh.

Slowly, I backed away from her. "If this is about Gaara, I can take him to ya if you want…" I began to trail off, looking for an escape route. "You filthy little heathen! Don't speak of the Prince so casually!" She suddenly barked at me, barring her teeth. I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head back, placing my hand on my hip.

"First of fuckin' all, you don't know me so don't tell me what to do you freaky devil worshiping bitch! And second of all, who the fuck are you to call me a heathen? Bitch, you're a heathen!" I snapped at her, narrowing my much lighter toned eyes at her. Demon or not, she was not going to talk to me like I was some fuckin' pussy.

The woman smirked down at me, backing me into the door of the gym. Silently, I cursed to myself. If this was a horror movie, my dumb ass would be the first to die. At least I wouldn't be the dumb bitch who trips over nothing and tries to crawl away. Yeah, that can be Naruto.

"Sasori-Sama did say you were a loose canon with such a potty mouth," She grinned down at me, causing me to give her a '_WTF_' look. This bitch was bipolar. One minute she was spazzing at me, the next she was smiling at me and saying something about…Sasori.

Oh.

You bastard, Sasori.

"Let me guess….this is the part where you knock me out and kidnap me, right? And obviously Sasori has something to do with this, right?" I said blandly, giving her the _'are you shitting me right now?' _look. Her grin widened to the point where I thought her fuckin' face might crack open.

She moved so quick, I barely saw it coming. The back of my neck began to sting and throb, a pain spread throughout my body and my eyelids felt heavy. The last thing I saw was her stupid grin before the world went black.

_Fuuuuck. Bitch. _

* * *

When I woke up, I was fully aware that my feet weren't touching the floor. There was a draft through the room I was in and I'm sure my skin had goose bumps running the length of my body. Where the fuck was that draft coming from? Did they want me to die in here?

I came to focus and glanced around. I was in a barren room with a single _(opened)_ window and a plain door. I looked up and sighed heavily. My wrists were bound painfully_ (I'm sure that's going to leave marks)_ by leather and I dangled off the floor.

Oh, did I forget to mention that my clothes were gone?

_Yeeeah_…

The door banged open a second after I woke up and in came that crazy red eyed bitch. I stared at her blankly, wondering what the hell was her name and where were we? And why the fuck was the window open?

"Sooo…is there any particular reason that I'm naked?" I asked her when she came closer to me. They left me in my silky red panties and bra, but that was it. I mean damn, they even took my damn socks. And they were the Batman socks too. They better give me my shit back. They were my favorite and they were Batman. C'mon, he's the goddamn Batman.

"You will know in due time," she grinned at me, nodding her head. I snorted and rolled my eyes. Crazy ass bitch. "Right, well…you mentioned Sasori earlier? What does he have to do with this? Cuz' one minute he's trying to break my wrist, the next he's seducing me and now he's apart of my kidnapping plot? I mean come on, could he get anymore confusing?" I babbled out, uninterested in whatever the hell she wanted.

"You speak so casually of powerful men," Reddy mused at me. I kind of did this weird shrug thing that irritated my bound wrists. "I've come to know Gaara these past couple of months…" I replied to her with a frown. Her amused face quickly melted away and was replaced with a more crazed one.

I think Gaara was a touchy topic for her.

"Stop speaking of him like that, you filthy little fly!" She snarled at me, looking as if she wanted to rip my heart out and eat it. Oh yeah, he was totally a touchy subject for her. I squinted at her, frowning. I titled my head and thought long and hard of her reactions.

"_Ohhhh_. I see what's going on here," I said after I had my bright idea. She barred her teeth at me. "You're one of his broken toys, aren't you? A burned lover? I see now why you want to eat my heart. You're jealous of me, aren't you Reddy?" I deduced, grinning down at her.

"Reddy? And why the hell would I want to eat your heart, that's disgusting and sounds weird," She huffed at me, folding her arms. "Well, I don't know your name. And yeah sure, but eating my soul sounds completely normal to you?" I shot back, still grinning.

"It's Emiko!" She snapped at me, glaring daggers at me. "Nice to meet you, Emiko. You already know my name. So, what's on the agenda for today? A little torture by you physically? And then sometime later, you're going to mentally fuck my mind, right? And then…someone like Sasori will come in here and rape me until I'm just an empty shell of the woman I used to be, right?" I guessed casually, giving her a hard look.

"You make it sound so simple. I will break you." Emiko threatened me, inching closer to my face. I stared down at her, noticing her slip a little dagger out of her knee-high boot. I took a deep breath and stared at her with a steely gaze.

"Take your best shot, bitch."

* * *

Hinata knew something was off the minute she woke up. When she glanced to the side, her sister was nowhere to be found. She bit her bottom lip but chalked it off; perhaps her sister was already up and wandering around the apartment. Or maybe Gaara killed her. Either option was plausible.

It wasn't until she was finished her shower and cleaning herself up that she realized something was off. The two demons lay sprawled on the floor and the couch of her sister's living room, but Xin was nowhere to be found.

"You guys?" She frowned, coming stepping into the living room. "Hi, Hinata!" Naruto greeted brightly from the floor. "Good morning. Why are you on the floor?" Hinata frowned, looking down at the bright eyed demon. Sometimes she wondered how Naruto was in the demon world. He was just too much of a sweetie to be feared by others.

"Cuz' Gaara fuckin' pushed me off the couch yesterday while I was asleep. I didn't bother getting back up and went back to sleep," Naruto explained, sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck. "That wasn't nice," Hinata frowned, looking at the redhead. Gaara sat up and shrugged blandly. She had grown used to have the silent man around and didn't fear him as much as she used to.

Hinata sighed heavily and shook her head. She and her sister were going to have to teach those two manners. You can't just go away pushing people off of couches…and wait. Shoot. She forgot about her sister's missing status. The woman swept her eyes over the apartment but came up with nothing.

"Where's Xin?"

Naruto and Gaara both looked at her with the same expression. Confusion. "Is she not sleeping in her chamber?" Gaara asked, pointing to the bedroom Hinata had come out from. Hinata fiddling with her shirt and shook her head no. "She wasn't there when I woke up," She bit her bottom lip.

She wrung her fingers together and then dug into the jacket pocket of her hoodie. Biting her lip again, she dialed the number to Xin's gym. "Hi, Jim? This is Xin's sister, Hinata. Ah, I'm doing fine, thank you for asking. I was just wondering if my sister is at the gym right now. No? Did you see her leave yesterday? She locked the gym up for you and left the key in your hiding spot? Oh, okay. Thank you. Bye now."

"Obviously this 'Jim' has not seen our missing vixen all day, yes?" Naruto grinned as he stood up to stretch. "Call her that again and I will rip your heart out and feed it to Yugito," Gaara threatened with narrowed eyes. "You know, just cuz' she's a cat doesn't mean she'll just eat whatever you throw at her," Naruto reminded him with a sniff.

"You guys! Focus!" Hinata huffed loudly, snapping for their attention. "My sister is missing! No one has seen her since last night and she didn't come home last night. A demon took her, I know it!" Hinata began to insist in a panicked voice. Good lord, she was going to panic and pass out. She hasn't done that since she was fourteen!

"Hinata, Hina….honey…calm down." Naruto grabbed her by her shoulders and eased her on the couch. "A demon didn't take her. She probably just went to a bar and passed out," Naruto soothed her by rubbing her shoulders while gently whispering to her. He didn't even notice Gaara walked to the front door.

"Naruto? I think she might be right…" Gaara mumbled from the front door. Hinata's eyes widened as if she had seen a UFO while Naruto frowned in distaste. "Why?" Naruto asked slowly, tightening his grip on her shoulders just in case she got all crazy and decided to jump out a damn window or something.

Gaara turned around to face the duo and held up a familiar jacket. It had been originally a crisp white jacket, but now the pristine white had faded. The jacket was crumpled and wrinkled and stained with streaks of dirt. Under the intoxicating smell of lavender and spice, Gaara inhaled two familiar smells.

Sasori and Emiko.

He was going to slit their throats open….

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

You know, I know I told her to take her best shot…..but damn. I thought the bitch was just going to torture me, not literally try to fuckin' kill me! Girlfriend had some serious issues and was taking all her anger out of me. I'm sensing some murderous hostility from her. If she'd just shut the fuck up, I could recommend a spectacular therapist for her….

I stumbled and leaned against the wall for support. I think that crazy bitch broke a rib or something. After she had tortured me for close to an hour, I somehow managed to kick her in the face. Just because I'm a fuckin' human does not mean I won't kick a bitch. I kick hoes for a livin', remember that.

Anyway, she was pretty pissed off that I kicked her in the face. So, ya know what she did? She cut me down _(but left my hands bound, the witch)_ and kicked the living shit out of my ribs. I swear to God I heard a crack. Couldn't she have left me on the floor? I mean, I had hit that floor pretty fuckin' hard with my _face._ I'm sure I have a bruise on my face. Maybe that bruise will distract people from the bleeding wounds and other bruises decorating my once gorgeous body.

I guess she thought I would just lie there and take it. Clearly the bitch doesn't know me. As soon as she leaned close to me to taunt and whisper in my ear, I surprised her by molding energy in my hands and shoving them in her face. That bitch has 2nd degree burns all over her face.

Take that, ya bitch. Ha and uh…ha!

While she was screaming and having a seizure on the floor _(you'd think she'd be a lot tougher than that…) _I limped out of that room, which smelled heavily of my blood. I'd hate to be the person who had to clean all that blood I lost. Speaking of losing blood, it's fuckin' miracle I'm even able to walk.

Where the fuck was Gaara? Isn't this the part where the hot _(and sweaty)_ hero comes crashing through the wall to save the gorgeous but capable damsel and distress _(me)_? Oh, wait. This isn't a movie, you lunatic! This is real fuckin' life and if you don't haul ass out of this place, that bitch will get you!

I cringed when I heard a banshee-like screech vibrate through the building we were in. Where the fuck were we, anyway? She refused to tell me. Oh…I'm supposed to be making my great escape. Focus, Xin!

Rounding a corner, I bumped into someone. Looking up, I gaped and then rolled my eyes. Of fuckin' course. Can't catch a damn break today, can I? You have to be fuckin' kidding me, like for real.

First, I'm kidnapped and tortured by some freak ass banshee wannabe. Then, when I finally make an escape by trying to burn off her fuckin' face, I stumble around some building with cuts and bruises and a cracked rib or two, if I'm not mistaken. And now…now I just bumped into none other than Sasori.

Are you just as surprised as I am?

That was sarcasm, just for the heads up….

"And where do you think you're going? I don't think Emiko is done playing with you. And by the sounds of her screams, I'm sure she wants another round with you," Sasori smirked down at me. I smiled nervously, wanting so bad to just punch him in his demon face.

"Oh, ya know…bathroom break," I replied lamely. "A girls' gotta pee…" I trailed off, trying to step around him. "Oh, no you don't. Your bathroom break can wait after Emiko wins her game with you," Sasori caught me by the shoulder, digging his claws into an open gash.

A gasp broke through my lips and I found myself dropping to my knees. Have you ever had someone shove their freakin' finger in an open wound like that? No? I wouldn't recommend it, for serious.

He yanked me up, placing me roughly on his shoulder. I felt his shoulder press on bruises and irritate other wounds. I gasped again and didn't even bother with struggling. "What's this going to prove?" I bit out, grounding my teeth together.

"Whatever Emiko wants to prove."

"That she's a fuckin' nutcase? It's already been proven!"

Sasori snorted, shaking his head. "Did you know that demons are extremely territorial over what they believe is theirs?" Sasori asked after a minute. I scrunched my eyebrows together and curled my lip up. The fuck was he going with this?

"Well, Emiko believes the Prince still belongs to her. They were lovers in the past, you know. And I may have told her of your complicated relationship with our Prince. Obviously, it didn't sit too well with her. So, believing herself as the Alpha female or mate, she has to eliminate any rivals." Sasori explained to me as we drew closer to the red room of blood. That's what I'm calling it now. Cuz' it's a room and it's stained with my red blood. Get it? You get it. I'm pretty damn clever.

"Are you fuckin' serious? Look, in case you freaks of nature haven't noticed….I'm a _**human**_. Humans don't go by these rules. I mean, sure we can be catty when it comes to boys but we don't fuckin' _kidnap _each other and _torture_ them for hours! Are you people insane? And how the fuck can she be an Alpha anything when he's a Prince? He's not a fuckin' Alpha, that's his Father! That makes Gaara the Omega or whatever! So, by killing me to secure her spot as the Alpha female, she's trying to get with his Dad! And that is fuckin' disgusting!"

I fumed angrily while Sasori quietly mulled over my words. Technically, it was true. Gaara was just a prince since his Daddy, the King, was still alive. And last time I checked, I did not want the King. Hell, I didn't want Gaara. Okay, maybe I wanted him a little bit. Or a lot. I don't know yet.

Sasori surprised and scared the living shit out of me when he started to laugh. It was a dry laugh and maybe I would've been attracted to him if he wasn't fuckin' crazy. I think that's the blood loss talking. Under normal circumstance, I wouldn't find anything attractive about him. He could have the golden dick and his cum could be fuckin' diamonds and I still wouldn't find him attractive.

"I can see what the Prince sees in you."

Sasori came around the corner and to the red room of blood. I felt him pat at my thighs and I plotted on killing him in sleep. That is, if he sleeps at all. The only demon I ever saw sleeping was Naruto.

"I've brought you your present, Emiko."

Ah…fuck my life.

* * *

Gaara stepped out of the portal first, standing in the middle of a green forest. Naruto stepped out next, looking around. The blond frowned and titled his head. "I would've thought Emiko would be in the desert. She's pretty close to Konoha. About a mile off," He tapped his chin and looked in the direction of his village.

"She has a safe house hidden in this forest. I'm not surprised she's here," Gaara grumbled, sniffing the air for the familiar scent of Xin or Emiko. "You think Xin is okay?" Naruto asked, also sniffing the air.

"Knowing that woman and her mouth, no. Emiko's line of sanity is very fragile. She has random changes in her mood. And Xin has the ability to piss anyone off," Gaara reminded Naruto darkly, shaking his head.

"You sure can pick em'."

"After I rip Emiko's mouth off, you're next."

Naruto grinned and waved him off. In the next moment, the current of the wind changed and he caught the scent of Xin. Lavender, spice…and blood. The color drained from his face and just as he turned to notify Gaara, a red blur shot past him.

"Someone's pissed…" He mumbled, blurring after his best friend.

* * *

"How sad, you look so pathetic and yet your eyes hold such a determination," Emiko grinned down at Xin. The human was lying on her side in a pool of her very own blood. Her eyes were narrowed fiercely and glared in defiance at Emiko.

She opened her mouth and spat bloody spit on Emiko's shoe. "I can see why you're an ex-lover," Xin weakly snorted. Emiko gave a cracked and crooked smile which made Xin a little scared. This bitch was seriously off her rocker.

"We've still got all night, we haven't even gotten to the best part…"

"You're shittin' me; we haven't even gotten the gold on this?"

"I'll enjoy torturing you," Emiko continued on, ignoring Xin's annoyed statement. "I'm going to torture you a little more…and then…I'll allow Sasori to rape you as long as he likes…and then we'll kill you slowly. The thought of watching you die slowly excites me…the light fading from your eyes."

"Um…okay…but just to let ya know…I'm not a virgin. And…are you about to have…like…an orgasm over the thought of my death? Are you into that kinky shit? By the look on your face, I'm gonna take that as a yes."

"Virgin or not, he will still break you. Demons are known to be very violent lovers. Luckily for you, you're a little bit thicker than average human women. Perhaps you'll last a couple of rounds with him before succumbing to the mental breaking point."

"Did you just call me fat?"

Emiko rolled her eyes. "I still haven't touched your face. You have such a pretty face for a human," Emiko crouched down to caress Xin's face. "Smooth pale skin….big lavender eyes. Nice full lips. Such a pretty face." Emiko whispered, pinching Xin's cheek between two long claws. "I can't wait to see it covered in blood. Then, you'll be truly beautiful…"

"Emiko."

Emiko whipped around to see the Prince and the blond Prince from Konoha standing in her doorway. Naruto's eyes were pinned to Xin, horrified at her state. However, he was clearly surprised by her will to hang on this long. She sure as hell wouldn't go down that damn easy.

Next to him, Gaara tried to contain his anger. He knew he should have killed Emiko all those years ago. The demon was just too insane. And now look what she's done. His once perfect doll was covered in blood and bruises. Her eyes had dimmed down, he could tell she was on the verge of passing out. And if he had heard correctly, she was planning on allowing Sasori to rape her?

His woman? His possession?

Gaara crossed the room briskly, meeting Emiko just as she stood up. "Took ya long enough," He heard Xin mumble, shifting to lie on her stomach. She inhaled sharply, annoying one of the many bruises or gashes on her stomach. "My prince," Emiko purred, rubbing a hand over his chest.

"I'm going to give you the option of stepping away from my woman, Emiko." He hissed icily, eyes set in a dangerous glare. Emiko's face clouded over in confusion. "Surely the trip has made you tired. You have this _vile_ little _human_ confused with me, my prince. _I_ am your woman. She was merely an obstacle. But if you allow me more time, I can permanently get rid of her."

"I can hear you, you crazy bitch. I'm on the verge of _death_, I'm not _deaf._"

Gaara growled in Emiko's face. How dare this blemish do this? What right did she have? She was no one important. Just a crazy bitch he had fucked sometime in the past. He couldn't even recall why he had even bothered with her. He reached up, which she mistook as a motion to caress her face, to tangle his hand into her wispy hair. He knotted his hand in her hair and yanked on it painfully, causing her to fall into Xin's blood on the floor.

"I am going to kill you," He threatened darkly with a murderous glint in his eyes. Emiko, horrified and confused began to yank at his hand in vain. "I….I don't understand! Why are you doing this for her? I am not good enough? Better than her? What is she to you?" She began screaming at the top of her lungs.

"She is my woman."

Naruto watched blankly as Gaara dragged the sobbing woman out of the room. He paused at the doorway, looking at the Konoha prince. "Take of Xin for me, Naruto. I think she's dying from blood-loss," He requested quietly. Naruto let a grin stretch across his face, ignoring Emiko's screams and cries of angst. "Of course," He nodded as Gaara vanished with Emiko. He didn't even want to know how Gaara would go about killing her. Probably slow and painful so she could experience what she had done to Xin.

He moved towards her, crouching down to carefully gather her in his arms. "Can you hear me, Xin? You still with me?" He asked her, watching her dazed expression. It was probably a bad idea to allow her to pass out but there was no way he was going to be able to keep her awake.

"That bitch called me fat."

Naruto could only let out a bark of laughter.

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

I awoke with a gasp, springing up from the soft mattress. My body ached and screamed in protest at my sudden jerky movements. I panted heavily; my throat was as dry as the Sahara desert. I placed a hand on my breasts and expected my hand to be covered in my blood. But it wasn't.

I pulled back the heavy furs _(the fuck? I don't own any real furs…) _and looked down. I was dressed in a light pink sleeping kimono. I distinctly remembered passing out in my bloodied bra and panties though, not a girly kimono. I don't even think I own a sleeping kimono, let alone a pink one.

I undid the belt of the kimono and slipped out of it, looking over my sore body. I still had some bruises, but all the open gashes that my body once had were gone. I know I didn't do that. And why would Emiko do this after going through the trouble of nearly killing me?

Speaking of which, where was that psycho? And where was I? I couldn't smell the metallic smell of my own blood and this room has furniture while the room I had been had nothing but a lone window. I heard a curtain shift and looked up to the doorway just in time to see Naruto step through. He paused stiffly and gaped at me. I frowned in confusion and titled my head to the side. The fuck was going on?

I suddenly remembered that my sleeping kimono was pooled around my ass and my breasts were lacking a bra. I quickly understood why he was gaping at me in horror. I was flashing him. Oh lordy, I was flashing Naruto!

"_Naruto!" _I squeaked out, grabbing the edges of the kimono and pulling it back around me. "Sorry! Sorry! Sakura-Chan told me to come check on you. But I didn't think you'd be awake and naked!" He rushed out, almost blurring his words together. He had slapped his hands over his face, but was peeking through the gaps of his fingers.

Sakura? Who the fuck was Sakura?

"It's fine; just don't tell my sister about it…or Gaara!" I snapped at him, knotting the belt tightly around to make sure my kimono wouldn't slip open. "Sakura and Gaara are waiting for you to wake up. Do you want to get some more rest? I could come back…" Naruto trailed off, backing out of the borrowed room.

"No! Don't leave me alone," I whined, reaching out for him and ignoring the soaring pain that it caused me. "You shouldn't move around like that. I can tell by the little winces that your body still hasn't fully healed after your ordeal," Naruto advised me, coming to the bedside and slipping his hand around my back.

I slowly slid out of the bed and rested most of my weight on his body. "Do you mind helping me? If you don't want to, it's okay," I told him, not wanting to be a bother. "It's alright Xinny, come on. Gaara is worried sick and I want you to meet Sakura-Chan." He grinned at me, pretty much carrying me out of the room.

"Gaara isn't worried about me," I mumbled depressingly out the side of my mouth. "He just doesn't want his source of entertainment to be obsolete…" I trailed off with a frown. Naruto paused and looked down at me. "Incorrect, my doll." He said after seriously staring me down.

Excuse me?

"Even Hinata can back me up on this. When we found your dirty jacket and figured out Emiko's scent and Sasori's scent was all over it, he almost blew up with rage. He's really protective over you. He claimed you as his woman and his possession, that's some serious shit to a demon." Naruto explained, gently lifting me up and gliding down wooden a staircase.

I was silent as we walked down a long hall and stopped in front of a random door. Naruto shifted me carefully and slid the door open. He stepped into the room and slid the door closed behind us. The room was filled with thousands of dusty old scrolls and books. Littering the floors were giant green plush pillows. Sitting on two plush pillows was Gaara and a woman. I don't know how tall she was, but she had these pretty green emerald eyes and short pink hair.

_Pink_ hair. I shit you not, this girl had _pink_ hair.

She was dressed like any other demon would be. Colorful robes of red and green. She was quite the beauty. I suddenly felt ugly with my plain pink kimono, my tired expression and no doubt my rat's nest of a hair.

"You're awake!" The woman exclaimed. I assumed this was the Sakura woman Naruto had been talking about earlier. "Wow, I wasn't expecting you to awake for another two or three days!" Sakura continued to chatter. Naruto carried me over to Gaara and sat me down near the redhead. I was completely caught off guard when he threw an arm around my body and dragged me to sit between his legs. I heard him sigh heavily before burying his face into my hair.

The fuck was up with him?

"Another two or three days? How long have I been asleep?" I asked slowly, ignoring Gaara's weird behavior. "A day. You were on the verge of death when Naruto burst into my home with you, covered in blood and bruises. Your bruises will fade with time, so don't worry," Sakura told me with a sweet smile.

"…You healed me?" I asked slowly, feeling Gaara's arms loosen at the mention of my bruises. "Yes, I did. I'm Haruno Sakura. I trained under Tsunade-Sama. It's nice to meet you, Xin." Sakura greeted kindly. I nodded slowly. "Thank you so much for healing me. I thought I was knocking on death's door…"

The room quieted down and Sakura stared at me, long and hard. It almost felt like she was analyzing my very soul. Like she was trying to figure out what kind of a person I am just by staring at me.

"Um…is there something on my face? I'm pretty sure Emiko didn't get to it," I mumbled, touching my face self-consciously. "No, no! You're fine. It's just…I'm in awe by you, Xin-San." Sakura shook her head at me. "I mean, the demon world has been in an uproar about you. Everyone knows about the human who caught Prince Gaara's attention. It's just…I didn't expect you to be so…small and harmless…" Sakura struggled for a moment to describe me.

"Harmless, sure." Naruto snorted in humor. Sakura turned to glare at him. "You think she's harmless? Just wait until she gets annoyed and open that mouth of hers. She's worse than that scumbag, Hidan," Naruto explained with his signature.

"Shut up," I mumbled, blushing. "Either way, she looks so small. I can't believe Emiko would torture you like that. You were pretty bad when you first arrived, Xin. And Gaara said Emiko wanted Sasori to rape you? That girl is sick!"

"Well…nothing is worst than the fury of a pissed off ex-girlfriend," I snorted out, wondering where Emiko was. I didn't want that crazy witch to come back with a vengeance. And where the fuck is Sasori? I was going to open a can of whoop-ass on him. "Speaking of that prick…where the hell is Sasori?" I snapped at no one. Sakura raised her eyebrows at the tone of my voice. I guess Naruto was right. Wait until you hear my mouth. "When we got there, you and Emiko were the only ones in the building. Sasori must've known we were coming and escaped before we got there," Naruto explained to me.

"And Emiko?"

Naruto rolled his lips and Sakura suddenly found her hands very interesting. I frowned in confusion. "Well? Where's Emiko?" I repeated myself, staring them down. "You know…I should be really checking on Sasuke-kun right about now. His eyes are getting strong but he's still somewhat blind. Why don't you come, Naruto? It's been awhile since you saw him," Sakura said quickly, dragging Naruto's big burly form out of the room.

"O…kay?"

Gaara shifted behind me, leaning back into the pillows. This caused me to lean back on his chest. "Gaara? What happened to Emiko?" I asked carefully, scared to turn around to look at him. "She is dead." Gaara answered me back quietly.

"Dead? You killed her? W-Why did you do that?" I gasped, wanting to turn around to slap at him. "_Why_? Xin, she was going to _kill_ you. She was going to sit by and let someone rape you. She was enjoying torturing you," He snapped at me, his hold tightening around me.

"Well, yeah. I know that. But she was angry and sad. And a little crazy. She just wanted you to love her. Do you see _why_ you can't just go around fucking whoever? She loved you and had sex with you cuz' that's what you wanted, right? Look what it did to her! It warped her mind and turned her psychotic! You can't do that to people! You can't do that to _me_!" I shouted at him, turning around so he could see just how serious I was.

"Do that to you?" He mumbled slowly, looking down in thought. "Is it safe to assume you love me then?" Gaara asked me, turning a strong gaze on me. I gaped at him, taken aback.

"Why the fuck do you think I love you?"

"You said I can't have sex with a girl who loves me. You just said I can't do that to you. Would that not mean you love me?" He explained to me, rubbing his hands along my back. I took his words into consideration and cursed. He made a strong point.

"Don't get it confused," I huffed, weakly pushing myself up. "I'm just saying….you're not going to make me crazy after fucking my brains out and leaving me…" I tried to put up an argument, but there was not much I could say anymore.

"Why do you assume that I will leave you after I am done?" Gaara frowned down at me, pulling me back down on top of him. "Because…we made a deal. You're going to kill me and everyone else. And if not that, you'll eventually leave. You're going to, I know it. You're going to leave me all alone. And the thought of that makes my stomach sick." I replied sadly, wanting to curl up.

The thought of him leaving me upsets me. I just couldn't see my life being normal after he left. It would be just so…empty without him. I didn't want to become a girl who based her entire world on a guy. I felt bad for those types of girls. Cuz' when the guy leaves, the girl's heart will be shredded into a million pieces and she's going to feel so used and alone.

And I just don't want it.

"Then I simply won't leave you," Gaara offered with a shrug. I squinted in confusion at him, not believing him. "Liar. You're gonna lose your teeny tiny demonic mind in the human world. It's too boring for you. And besides, your Dad won't like that idea," I rebuffed him firmly.

"Does it really seem like I care what my Father likes and does not like? I was sent to eradicate you and your race months ago, and yet…here you still are." Gaara argued back. "And why do you have to say something back each time? You don't want to have sex with me because I'll leave you. I tell you I'm staying and you say I'm lying. You human women are fickle," Gaara added after thinking my words over.

I didn't say anything, simply letting out a huff of annoyance. He chuckled from above me, pressing fingers into my aching back. I didn't sigh in content out loud like I wanted to, he would win then. Deep down, I wanted him to stay. Even though his presence would and will put me in danger, I didn't want him to go. I think I'm turning into a masochist.

"Go to sleep, Xin. You are still tired."

I felt his lips on my forehead before I complied with his order. Wait, don't get it twisted. I wasn't complying with shit. I was tired anyway. And he happened to tell me to go to sleep just as I was about to. Yeah…

"I will not leave your side."

_End P.O.V_

* * *

"Are you sure that girl isn't a sorceress?" Sakura frowned, stepping out of the room that housed Sasuke. Naruto followed after her, sliding the door closed and leaving his best friend in the comfort of quietness and darkness.

"Why would she be?" Naruto tilted his head in question. Sakura patted at the front of her kimono and sighed dramatically. "C'mon Naruto. Even though his attitude has been a lot better these past couple of years, Gaara is still more ruthless than a lot of other demons. And to see him act soft towards her like that? It's just weird. She can't be some normal human," Sakura explained, leading him down the halls.

"She's not some normal human. She's from the Hyuuga clan," Naruto notified his old friend. The pink haired demon paused and raised her eyebrows in surprise. "The clan of mikos who immigrated to the human world from the demon world?"

"The very same."

Sakura nodded her head. "That makes sense. Leave it to Gaara to come into contact with a girl from a dead clan and show interest in her," Sakura snorted, coming closer to the room they had left the demon and his human in. "She likes him back, fortunately," Naruto grinned.

Before they could open the door, they heard a surprised yelp from the room. There was the sound of struggling going on before the sound of one of them being slapped resonated from the room. Naruto and Sakura both jumped in shock. What the hell was going on this time?

The door slammed open and out stomped Xin. "You're a fuckin' pervert! You know that? What the hell is wrong with you?" She screeched out as Gaara followed out, sporting a red hand print across his face. "I don't think I deserved being slapped, you pissed off little gnome."

"You were _molesting_ me in my _sleep_, you freak! That's a crime! And don't call me a gnome, goddammit!" Xin continued to scream, pointing a finger at Gaara. Sakura glanced behind her, wondering if Sasuke could hear Xin's screaming. She turned to Naruto, who was grinning comically.

"They're perfect for one another, no?"

* * *

Xin fell from the portal to her knees, dry-heaving. "Oh my God, it's like taking acid all over again," She whined, rolling onto her back. "Isn't that a human drug? Are you a druggy, Xinny?" Naruto asked as he climbed out of the portal next. Xin gave him a pointed look. "No. I just had a wild time at college, okay?" She sniffed out, climbing to her feet. "If you say so. Just know, drugs aren't your friend, Xinny. They're very toxic to weak little humans. It will rot your already rotted brain," Naruto mocked lectured her as Gaara stepped out and the portal vanished.

"I will kill you in your sleep," Xin seethed out, flipping him off and giving him a glare. "Well that's not a pretty face," Naruto laughed as she dusted herself off. "Fuck off," Xin mumbled under her breath as she took the stairs down to her floor, the two demons following after her.

"I have to call Hinata and tell her I'm back. She'll probably cry," Xin mused as she stopped in front of her door. "Home sweet home," She grinned at the demons behind her. With a sigh, she threw her door open.

She couldn't even step through the damn door when Gaara suddenly grabbed her and jumped to the side. Something silvery flew by, narrowly missing her face. She let out a shriek of surprise, hearing something thud in the wall behind her.

"For Christ's Sake, now what?"

A little woman appeared in her doorway at that moment. Her long midnight blue hair was combed back into a prim bun, she was wearing a floral light purple kimono and she had a grim expression crossed over her face. Her hands were folding into the sleeves of her kimono.

"Uh….Grandmother? Why are you throwing knives at people?"

* * *

_TeeBeMe: And just like that, chapter six! Did you guys like it? Xin seems to be the kind of person who insists on talking shit when she's been kidnapped. Even if her captor is beating the shit out of her. What did you guys think of Gaara's ex-lover, Emiko?_

**Xin: I'm a boss. **

_TeeBeMe: Yeah…okay. Well, does anyone want to guest the love interest of my YuYu Hakuso story? And to my lovely Kiteria, I find it absolutely amazing that you suggested exactly what was going to happen. You are quite amazing, doll! _

**Xin: Well, drop a review in that big ass box below! And to Panda-Chan8, we love long compliment/rant reviews. It's nice to know exactly what you're thinking of the story, me and the rest of the characters. **


	7. The face is right beneath my skin

_TeeBeMe: OH MY GOOOOD, UPDATE MY PRETTY BITCHEEEES_

**Xin:….TeeBeMe does not own any of the official Naruto characters. Just the OCs. Understand?**

* * *

Kiyone stared blankly at her granddaughter and the two demons surrounding her. She knew it. She knew her idiot granddaughter had gone off and started to poke around things she had no business poking at.

"Because I know of the company you keep," She replied briskly to the younger woman's earlier question. "Have you lost your mind, Grandmother? What if that had been a normal human opening the door?" Xin huffed, shrugging Gaara's hands off to place her hands on her hips.

"I sensed the demons' presence," Kiyone rebuffed her argument. "But you almost stabbed _me_ in the face," Xin reminded her darkly. "It was your fault for trying to enter first," Kiyone waved it off, turning and trekking back into the apartment. "You've lost it, ya old bat." Xin growled, following after her. Gaara eyed the doorway suspiciously before shoving Naruto through it. Something crackled against Naruto and he was suddenly launched backwards. Gaara blankly sidestepped as he best friend crashed into the wall with a grunt.

Xin whipped around in shock. "What the hell is going on?" She shrieked, rushing outside to if Naruto was okay. "Your grandmother put up a barrier. Demons can't enter unless they wanted to be mildly purified and pushed backwards," Gaara explained as Naruto stumbled up. "If you knew something like that was going to happen, why'd you shove me into it?!" He demanded in Gaara's face. "You shoved him into that?" Xin asked Gaara with a frown. "I was testing to see if it was truly there," Gaara shrugged with his short explanation. Xin let out a groan and slapped her forehead.

"Grandmother, take it down right now!" Xin demanded, stomping back into her apartment. "I only put it up to ward off dangerous demons," Kiyone sat on the couch, folding her arms across her chest. "I understand that, but it's not allowing my friends in so take it down. This is my apartment and I'll decide if I want a freakish barrier up." Xin huffed, standing over her grandmother.

Kiyone regarded Xin with a fierce stare but sighed heavily. "Fine," She huffed, waving her wrinkled hand. "It's down, invite danger into your home you stupid child," Kiyone rolled her eyes, ignoring Xin sticking her tongue out.

"C'mon boys, it's safe," Xin motioned to the two demons. She watched in amusement as Naruto carefully stepped through, his eyes darting around just in case. "Move it, moron," Gaara grumbled, pushing him forward.

"Your Grandmother is lovely, really." Naruto sniffed sarcastically. "Be quiet," Xin sighed, watching as he sat on the recliner. "The boys told me they left Hinata in your care. Where is my sister?" Xin asked, hands still on her hips.

"Worry not, she's at my home with your Grandfather," Kiyone answered blandly. "You left her alone with that old fart? For the love of…she's going to be in tears by the time she gets back here," Xin groaned loudly. Their mean-spirited Grandfather was too harsh for Hinata's extremely kind soul.

"Stop complaining," Kiyone snapped at the woman. Xin slapped her forehead and slumped on the couch. "She's going to be emotionally-scarred," She mumbled tiresomely. "Nonsense," Kiyone patted Xin's thigh affectionately.

"Now, why don't you tell me where you ran off to?" Kiyone spoke slowly, staring at Xin. "I…uh….ran into an old friend of Gaara's," Xin scratched at her cheek and then looked at Gaara with a weak smile. "And left your sister all alone?" Kiyone squawked out primly.

"The circumstances were…special…" Xin mumbled under her breath. Kiyone rolled her eyes; obviously her idiot granddaughter was lying. "I blame your Father," Kiyone grumbled unhappily. Xin shook her head and sighed. "Daddy had nothing to do with this. He doesn't even know Hinata and I know the truth."

"I still blame him."

* * *

"There…There. Stop crying now." Xin patted at Hinata's back with a weak smile. As soon as Hinata stepped through the door, she had thrown herself on her sister with heavy tears flowing down her face. "I was so worried," Hinata sobbed hysterically. "And grandfather is so harsh to me!" She continued to sob as her tears soaked Xin's shirt. "It's okay, please stop crying. Seriously, my shirt is like…soaking wet," Xin sighed heavily, still patting at Hinata's back.

"Seriously, you guys…why didn't you take her to our parents home instead of our grandparents?" Xin sighed as Hinata slid down and buried her face in Xin's lap. "How were we supposed to know your grandparents were psychotic?" Naruto snorted, scratching at his scalp.

"You really thought they were normal after meeting me?"

"That's a good point."

"I know, crazy runs in our family."

Xin sighed heavily as Hinata continued sobbing. "Will you stop that if I bake you a cake?" She asked with raised eyebrows. Hinata sat up slowly, rubbing at her tear stained face. "French Vanilla?" She sniffled out with a puffy face. Xin nodded her head and got up to start on Hinata's cake. Hinata wiped at her eyes and sniffled again. "S-So, what happened when you guys found her?" She asked the two demons. Naruto shifted uncomfortably and Gaara seemed extremely interested in something outside.

"I got my ass kicked!" Xin suddenly yelled from the kitchen area, mixing the batter together with flicks of her wrist. She was standing in the doorway with her hip leaning against the frame. "Really? You were just taking it?" Hinata blinked quizzically.

"No…I was talking shit the whole time."

"Really?"

"Yeah! That crazy bitch had the nerve to call me fat too!"

"That was awfully rude of her."

"I know right!"

Gaara and Naruto watched the twins exchange words with amusement. "This woman kidnapped you, tortured you to a pulp, cracked one of your ribs, almost had you raped," Naruto began counting off his fingers. "And the only thing you're concerned about is that she called you fat?"

Xin thinned her lips out. "You bet your ass I am." She replied stiffly. "I work hard to maintain a nice and healthy body and this bitch goes and says I'm fat. Me? All of people, fat?" Xin yakked out, feigning disbelief. "She was probably referring to your…um…how do I put this without sounding like a pig…" Naruto trailed off in thought. "Assets." Gaara helped out his bumbling friend. "Assets! That's the word," Naruto snapped his fingers with a grin.

"Assets?" Xin mumbled in confusion. "Your breasts, hips, thighs, and ass." Gaara turned to stare at her with a certain glint in his eyes. Xin stared blankly back at him. "That's awfully gay of her to notice." She sniffed in annoyance, turning swiftly back into the kitchen.

"This woman, where is she now?" Hinata turned her body to face Naruto. "Dead. Gaara killed her off." Naruto replied somberly. "Her mind was far too fragile to allow her to continue living." Gaara explained as Hinata gaped widely. "It had to be done," Gaara shrugged without a care.

Hinata opened her mouth but a knock at the door interrupted her. Xin frowned darkly and sighed heavily. "For the love of…who is it this time? Out for my blood, maybe? Or maybe they want to poke fun at how fat I am," Xin grumbled under her breath, storming to the door.

"You are much too sensitive," Naruto grinned widely. Xin shot him a look as she stopped in front of her door. She sent a silent prayer, begging that whoever was on the other side of the door was perfectly sane and not out to get her blood.

She whipped the door open and stood face to face with a woman her height. The woman had bright blue eyes and freakishly long red hair. She was wearing a simple plain blue dress with a high-collar. All in all, this woman was quite beautiful.

"Um…" Xin frowned, staring at the smiling woman. "Hello?" Xin titled her head to the side in question. "Hello!" The woman grinned at her. "I was just wondering…is Naruto home?" The woman asked, still smiling. Xin couldn't sense any bad vibes off of her but she still didn't trust her. Just because she was smiling and was beautiful did not mean she wasn't fuckin' out of her mind. Xin learned her lesson after meeting Emiko.

"Naruto! It's for you!" She called over her shoulder, smiling weakly at the woman. Hell, if this woman wasn't trying to call her throat out, she was fine for now. "For me?" Naruto trotted up to the door, pushing Xin aside just in case. He gaped once he caught sight of the fiery haired woman standing at the door.

"….Mom?"

Xin gaped at the two demons facing each other. "This is your _Mother_?" She stuttered out in surprise. "Uh….yeah…" Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "May I come in?" Naruto's mother asked politely, looking at Xin. "Sure, sure…" Xin shoved Naruto off to the side and motioned for her to come in. "Jeez Naruto, be more courteous to your Mom," She scolded the blond as the woman stepped inside her home. "Shut up!" Naruto whined at her.

"My name is Kushina. I've come to see where my son was hiding this whole time," Kushina introduced herself, still giving Xin her grin. "Nice to meet you, Kushina-San. I'm Xin and that's my sister over there next to Gaara," Xin pointed to Hinata. The shy twin quickly got up to greet the woman. "I'm Hinata, how are you?" Hinata asked sweetly, coming over to the trio. "I'm fine, thank you. What a nice little doll," Kushina commented, causing Hinata to blush.

Kushina suddenly dropped her smile when she turned to Naruto. "As for you…" She gave him a dark look. She caught Xin and Hinata off guard when she suddenly snatched her son up in a headlock. Xin quickly jumped backwards, shielding her sister from the crazy woman.

"You ungrateful brat! This is where you've been hiding the whole time? What's the matter with you?! I've been worried sick about you, you idiot! After all we've done for you, you run off to the human world without even telling us?! I should kill you right now!"

"Um….Gaara?" Xin called, backing her sister up. "What is it, woman?" Gaara moved his gaze onto the smaller woman. "Naruto's Mom is choking him…" Xin told him, extremely nervous the woman was crazy. "So?" Gaara snorted over the yelling of Kushina and Naruto.

Xin turned to him with a hand on her hip and still balancing the bowl of batter. "So this is like…normal?" She nodded back to the Mother-son situation. "Quite normal." Gaara told her with a smirk. "I'm gonna go put this in the oven then," Xin mumbled, hurrying to the kitchen. "I'll get some drinks!" Hinata chimed in.

"Ah! Do you have sake?" Kushina suddenly shouted after the woman, her smile returning. Xin frowned in thought. Did she have any sake left? She snapped her fingers and nodded. "Yes, we have sake. Get the choko out of the cabinets, Hinata..." Xin ordered her sister, pointing to the cabinets.

Ten minutes later, the Hyuuga sisters found themselves serving sake to three demons. "So this is what my life has been reduced to: serving demons. Mother would be proud," Xin sarcastically said as she poured Gaara's sake. "Quiet, doll." Gaara smirked at her. Xin scowled at him and considered splashing sake into his face. Once everything settled down and everyone had their sake, Xin looked at the redheaded woman. To be honest, she was a little afraid of this woman.

"Uh, Kushina-San? So you're not out for my blood, right?" She said slowly, sitting on the edge of her coffee table. Kushina instantly stopped sipping her sake to stare in confusion at the small human. "Out for your blood? Why would I be out for your blood?"

"Not all demons are after you, Xinny. Some are out for me," Naruto sighed heavily, downing his sake and holding out his hand for more. "And why is that? You don't seem like the type of demon to have too many enemies. Especially your Mother," Xin took a jab at him with a grin. "Shut up, your grandmother tried to stab you in the face!"

"What brings you here, Kushina-San?" Hinata asked sweetly, ignoring her sister bicker back and forth with Naruto. Kushina sighed dramatically, sagging her shoulders. "Well, I just wanted to know where my son is. He ran off a couple of months ago so suddenly without telling his Father and me. I was so worried about my boy," Kushina explained to the kind soul.

"You ran off without telling your Mother where you were going? What's the matter with you?" Xin growled, slapping Naruto upside his head. "What the hell, Xin! You didn't tell your Grandmother the truth when she asked where the hell you were!" Naruto growled, holding his head.

"You douche! I was _kidnapped _by a psychotic freak!"

"You shouldn't speak so ill of the dead, doll."

"Ey, ey. Gaara? Shut the fuck up. She was crazy."

Kushina's bright eyes were wide. "Sounds like you've been through a lot, little one," She said to the human. "All because of him," Xin huffed, shoving a finger in Gaara's face. She squealed loudly when Gaara leaned forward and licked her finger. "Stop that!"

"Ignore them," Hinata sighed, waving off the duo that was now bickering. "Gaara must like her, yes?" Kushina grinned, watching the two argue about nonsense. "I'd like to believe so. But my sister insists it's only sexual attraction."

Kushina thought it over and nodded. "Well, yes. But he still likes her, I can tell." Kushina held out her choko for more sake. Hinata leaned forward to carefully fill the dish back up. "But! I'm not here to talk about Gaara, although I'm glad to see he's doing well. I've come to see what you've been doing, boy." Kushina turned to Naruto, her gaze becoming quite serious.

Naruto smiled nervously at his Mother. Now how the hell was he going to explain to her that he came here with the excuse of making sure Gaara didn't go all crazy murderer on this world? The real reason is because he knew that the woman Gaara was involved with was related to the woman he had been pretty much infatuated with for like…months and months? Yeah, he's pretty sure he'd sound like a stalker. According to Gaara, he was a stalker. But Gaara was just a mean old fuck.

"I've been protecting Hinata and her clueless sister, Mom. A lot of demons from Gaara's past are coming after Xinny and some of them could go after Hinata. Gaara is too busy protecting Xin's clumsy ass, no one can look after sweet Hinata." Naruto tried his best not to look guilty as hell.

Xin paused, her hand planted firmly on Gaara's face in order to prevent him from leaning in too close towards her. "Did you call me clumsy? I'm not clumsy. I'll punch the shit out of you like I did a little while ago!" Xin growled, falling backwards off the coffee table with Gaara following after.

"Oh my. You allowed a little human to punch you? How embarrassing," Kushina chuckled behind her hand. "She got a lucky hit, that's all!" Naruto insisted with a whine. "Lucky shot my ass. Gaara, get the fuck off of me!" Xin snapped, trying to crawl out from underneath him. "No. I like this," Gaara chuckled darkly as Xin whined and turned onto her stomach. "I'm not consenting to this!"

"Please don't pay them any mind," Hinata sighed, turning away from the two on the floor. "Anyway, Mom…how'd you know where to find me?" Naruto scratched at his blond hair with a confused frown. "Sakura-Chan told me. She told me you visited her recently with Gaara and a little human woman who was kidnapped. She said you've been staying with that same woman in the human realm in Tokyo," Kushina explained with a simple smile.

"Damn you, Sakura." Naruto grumbled under his breath. "I heard that, boy. Sakura-Chan is a very nice girl, you know that!" Kushina plucked her son on his forehead. "If she wasn't so hung up on that Uchiha boy, I'm sure she'd be your perfect mate. You've known each other forever; she knows how to keep you in check…" Kushina began naming off reasons why Sakura was perfect. "And plus, you had such a crush on her!"

Hinata frowned and played with the hem of her shirt, not liking the sound of this Sakura woman. Sure, she was thankful that the woman had healed her sister and allowed her to stay in her home when she was recuperating. But…Naruto used to love her? They've known each other forever too. That probably meant they were best friends. And they were both demons? They were perfect for one another and Hinata didn't stand a chance.

Hinata could always come to terms with her feelings much faster than her stubborn sister. Even though she had known Naruto for the span of maybe three or four months, she felt a pull towards him. Like they were meant to meet. She loved having conversations with him; he was always so funny and sweet towards her. He told her tales about his adventures in the demon realm, adored her cooking and was always thinking of her.

She liked him, yes.

"But, I have to say, this little angel is much prettier than Sakura. And more humble with a sweet personality. I like her, boy. I'm sure Minato would like her too. Perhaps I'll bring him by sometime to meet her, that would be nice." Kushina began rumbling off, motioning to Hinata.

Naruto's face seemed to turn red and he began to sputter out nonsense. "Mom! Stop that! You're embarrassing Hinata! Holy shit, she fainted. Look what you did to her Mom!" Naruto shouted, watching as Hinata fainted with a squeak and red-hot face. Xin looked up when she heard a thump. "Did she faint? Calm down, Naruto. She used to do this all the time when we were younger," Xin snorted, pushing at Gaara's chest. "Are you sure?" Naruto looked over Hinata, pulling her head into his lap and brushing her hair out of her face.

"Yep."

Kushina looked down at Xin and Gaara. "How old are you two, my dear?" She asked with a frown. "We're twenty. We'll be twenty-one in December," Xin smiled sweetly at Kushina, vaguely wondering how pissed Gaara would be if she purified his fuckin' face. That would probably piss him off to the max though.

"Only twenty? You're quite young! You're just a baby," Kushina chuckled out loudly. "You think so? I've been living on my own since I was eighteen," Xin frowned, allowing Gaara to wrap his arms around her back so she didn't have to hear him complain.

"Well….Gaara and Naruto are both over a hundred years old and I'm a lot older than them. You are just a baby, my dear." Kushina clucked her tongue. "You're over a hundred? You old bag of bones, get off me! You're like…a pedophile!" Xin shrieked, clawing her way from under Gaara.

"What's a pedophile?" Naruto pronounced the word slowly, not familiar with the word. Xin paused in the middle of her freak out to see that all three of the demons looked quite confused with her word. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Xin mumbled underneath her breath.

She tried to think of a way to explain the word in the most simplest of ways. "A pedophile is a person, man or woman, who likes children," Xin explained slowly, watching for their reactions.

"Children?" Gaara frowned. "What's wrong with liking children?" Naruto frowned as well, causing Xin to slap her forehead. "No, you idiots! I mean, like….for the love of...when a grown ass adult wants to have sex with a child! There, I said it!"

"What's considered a child in human standards?" Kushina asked slowly, titling her head to the side. "Anyone under eighteen is a child," Xin answered her. "Your humans are funny, when a child has their thirteenth birthday; they are considered an adult and can be married off." Kushina told her with a confused frowns. "You humans are quite odd…"

"Us? You're the one condoning underage marriages," Xin mumbled out of the side of her mouth. Kushina let out a hearty laugh. "You know, I like these two girls." Kushina began to say with a wide smile. "Mom, please don't start…" Naruto began to grumble.

"Well, may I speak with you two alone?" Kushina said, standing up. Kushina patted Xin's head. "Thank you for the sake and hospitality. I know my boy is a bit…special but it means a lot that you and your sister like having him around." Kushina thanked Xin and turned to the door with Naruto in tow. "We can talk on the roof, Mom."

Gaara patted at his clothes as he stood up from the floor. "Think you can manage ten minutes while I speak with Kushina?" He asked with a teasing tone. "Very funny," Xin chuckled, lightly pushing at his shoulder. Gaara pressed his lips to her forehead. "Don't die. I'll be on the roof, scream if you need me, doll."

He turned and walked towards the two other demons. Kushina was giggling while Naruto was playfully cooing at the sign of affection he had witnessed. Gaara simply gave him the stink eye and shoved him out of the door first.

Xin only smiled weakly and then suddenly remembered her sister was still out cold.

"….Hinata?"

* * *

_Kushina's P.O.V_

I followed the boys with a coy smile sketched across my face. Now I understood why they had stayed so long in the human world. They had been wrapped up in those two quirky girls we had left behind in their home.

I hadn't expected that at all. Hinata was such a shy and sweet soul. To think that my son, a demon, had feelings for her. And don't even get me started on her sister. She and Gaara were polar opposites. She was loud and…outspoken. And Gaara was calm and some would say murderous. But I knew him better than that. He was just misunderstood.

They had shown such a strong affection to the two girls. I simply couldn't get over it! What happened to my little immature brat of a boy? And what happened to the sand Prince who barely spoke out loud back in the demon world?

What were these girls doing?

Once we were on the roof, both of them turned towards me. "What did you want to talk about?" Naruto asked me, his eyes were darting around. My smile stretched further across my face. Naruto seemed scared, Gaara remained the same but I spotted the small twitches here and there from him.

"Everyone was wondering why you two wanted to stay in the human world," I began, tapping my chin in thought. "Even I was wondering. What could possibly keep the two of you here?" I feigned a confused look. "For weeks, everyone pondered and came up with their own explanations. Some were quite funny while others were…disturbing." I continued on with a grin.

Clearly, Gaara was losing patients but Naruto was used to this. "But, I see what's going on here," My grin turned into a sly smile as I pointed at the two. "What are you talking about, Kushina?" Gaara sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You love them."

_End P.O.V_

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

Hinata's french vanilla cake was finally finished and it looked fuckin' fantastic. Not that I wanted to sound conceited or anything, but fuck it, I was a helluva baker. I'm gonna make money off of this, I swear. See, I don't have to be apart of some corporation to make my money. Baking sweets is perfectly fine with me.

I turned around and nearly dropped the large cake to the floor. In my living room, standing over my unconscious sister was of course, Sasori. I growled angrily. The fuck? Really? It's been like….three days since I was kidnapped and tortured by his whack-job accomplice. I really can't have a break?

"What the hell are you do you think you're doing here? Get away from her!" I hissed, storming over to him. Gently placing the cake on the coffee table, I turned back to him and shoved him away from my sister. Surprisingly, he stepped back with a bored expression.

"Calm yourself, woman. I am not here for your blood. Although it tasted quite good, I am not here for you." He told me calmly, glancing around the living room. I frowned in thought, titling my head to the side.

"Did…did you…_eat _my blood?"

"I only sampled it…"

"You…you're a freak, you know that?"

Sasori only gave me a stank look and turned towards the window. He waved his hand and I suddenly squeaked when the window burst open. That blond, Deidara hopped through into my living room, offering me a smile.

"Oh hell no! Get out, both of you!" I snapped, storming to Deidara and shoving him back towards my now opened window. There was no way in hell I was housing these two fuckin' demons in my home! Hell to the effin' no! The two on the roof was already enough to turn my goddamn hair grey, I didn't need two more.

"Is this how you treat your guests, hm?" Deidara chuckled, darting out from under my hands. I nearly tumbled out of the window if Deidara hadn't grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me backwards. With a huff, I spun around and slapped his hands away. "Don't touch me!"

"Someone has trust issues, yeah," Deidara let out a humored chuckled, which caused me to glare at him. "Look, I don't care what you two are planning! Just forget about it and go! Ya don't have to go home but ya gotta get the hell outta here!" I growled, pointing towards the window.

"If you don't be quiet, you'll wake your dear sister…" Sasori hummed out, looking down at Hinata. "So, are you just going to ignore me? Is that what we're doing now?" I asked sarcastically, glaring at Sasori.

"Gaara is going to be pissed if he comes back here and you two are still here. Real shit, get out of my house, right now. You," I pointed to Sasori with a scowl. "You had a hand in my kidnapping, you're fuckin' crazy and you tasted my blood. And you," I turned to Deidara. "You…well….I don't know you too well, but you're a fuckin' follower!" I hissed at them. "You both need to get the fuck out before this gets ugly!"

Sasori opened his mouth to say something rude _(no doubt)_ but was stopped when my sister suddenly shifted on the couch. Any signs of color drained from my face as her eyes shifted underneath her eyelids. Slowly, her lids opened up, revealing foggy eyes.

Hinata slowly sat up and rubbed her face. She looked straight at me, unaware of our two houseguests. I think she mistook them for Naruto and Gaara in her dazed state. "What's happening?" She wiped the sleep from her eyes and suddenly she came into focus. She glanced at Sasori, then to Deidara, then to me. Her eyes widened and I already knew what was coming next.

She screamed. Dear God, she screamed bloody murder.

* * *

Have you ever witnessed an all-out demonic brawl between four demons who clearly weren't the best of friends? No? I wouldn't recommend it. For serious. It was quite a messy sight to behold.

Hearing my sister's scream, Gaara and Naruto had rushed back to the apartment. I don't know where Kushina is during this, perhaps she's already back in the demon world. They had nearly knocked my door down when they burst back into the apartment.

I didn't have too much time to explain, all they saw was Sasori and Deidara standing close to the two of us. That's all they needed to see, I suppose. They must've thought of the worst case scenario and sprang into action. And I couldn't blame them. They were working for Gaara's Father and Sasori did have a hand in my kidnapping/torture ploy. The dick.

My apartment was in ruins, shards of glass littered the floor, furniture were flipped over, there were several holes, dents, smears of blood, and scratches in the wall and the worst of all, my cake was destroyed. It sat, smashed, underneath my turned-over coffee table. Poor thing, never had a chance. It looked damn good too.

Hinata and I were huddled underneath my turned over couch. Hinata had her hands planted firmly over her ears while I had my hands planted on my head just in case. She just had to scream, didn't she? One of those damn demons were knocked into the couch, causing it to suddenly rock back and forth. Hinata let out a little shriek of surprise while I squealed out. Is this how she and I would meet our end? Crushed by a couch?

Pssh. _Fuuuck_ no.

Everything outside became quiet for a mere second before I heard Gaara snarl in some foreign language. It sounded similar to Japanese, but it was weird and I couldn't catch any words. Sasori snapped back in the same language. And then suddenly, all four of them were growling in their freaky demon language.

"This is insane," Hinata whispered with wide eyes. "This is enough. I'm ending this," I growled more to myself than to her. She reached for me but I simply crawled out from our hiding place before she could stop me. Dear lord, I wanted to cry at the state of my apartment. My once beautiful, upscale, freakishly clean and white apartment looked as if a bomb had gone off in here. It was all blown to hell.

Their constant shouting in whatever the fuck they were speaking was starting to get on my nerves. I could feel my head throbbing to an unknown beat. I'm sure that blood vessel is going to burst any day now.

"That's _enough_!" I screamed over their shouting, startling them enough to shut them the fuck up. "What the _fuck_ is _wrong_ with you four!? _Look_ at my home! Look at what you've done to it! It's _ruined_! And what the _hell_ are you speaking?! Is that like some dead Asian language or _something?!_ You mothafuckas need to speak Japanese right the fuck now!"

They of course paused and stared at me like I was a nut-case. But no, oh no. Clearly they were the nut jobs. I'm just some innocent twenty year old who was dragged into this mess. Whatever God up there that wanted this to happen was laughing their ass off at me, I'm sure.

"Um…Xinny?"

"_What, _Naruto?!"

"You're glowing…."

I paused, trying to control my anger. Gaara and my Grandmother were right. My miko abilities would manifest powerfully according to my emotion. I'm pretty pissed off so I'm not surprised I'm glowing like a fuckin' alien or something.

I dug my nails into the palm of my hands. I still couldn't control the abilities like I wanted to. In order to grab all the power that was resurfacing, I had to concentrate on something else. Sometimes I took deep breaths, but this time I would focus on the stinging coming from hands.

Gaara moved first, taking careful steps towards me as if I was some rapid animal or something. I don't bite. Unless he was into that kind of stuff. I pushed those dirty thoughts away as he grabbed at my left hand, prying it open and dislodging my bloody nails from my stinging palm. He quietly did the same with my other hand.

I suddenly sighed heavily and dropped down to sit on my ass, his hand still holding onto my hand. "I never signed up for this, you know. Kidnapping ploys, pissed off ex-girlfriends, freaky blood-tasting nut-jobs, and sexual harassment. I'm beginning to think you're more trouble than you're worth."

Gaara gave me a dry look and dropped my hand into my lap. A moment later, he sat down next to me, his eyes trained on Sasori. Sasori directed a small smirk in our direction. "There was no need for this fight, Prince. I simply came to tell you something your Father wants you to know."

"You knew we were on the roof, you bastard. There was no need to come in here with them," Naruto barked at Sasori with a glare. I simply ran a hand through my ponytail, trying to ignore the shouting. "It would've been rude not to visit your little playthings," Sasori replied coolly, giving me a snarky smirk. "Fuck off, Sasori." I grumbled into my palm in annoyance. "The message, Sasori." Gaara growled at him with a blank look.

"Ah, yes. That's right. Your Father is very displeased, Gaara. You haven't done what you were sent here to do. It's been close to six months, has it not? He was quite angry with you, but he's come to an understanding, so to speak. So, he has issued another order. Whether you'd like to carry it out or not is your choice."

"Get on with it, you bastard."

"Kill Xin or he will have her killed."

...Um…..what!?

_End P.O.V_

* * *

"Xin, please…calm down," Hinata weakly sighed as Xin paced back and forth in front of the three of them. They had righted the furniture but hadn't cleaned the whole mess up yet. She, Naruto and Gaara sat on the couch as Xin nervously twittered back and forth.

"Calm down?" Xin gasped quietly. "You want me to _calm down?!_" Her voice began to rise in panic as she finally stopped pacing to turn to look at them. "They want me to die, Hinata! Die! If Gaara doesn't off me, his psychotic Father will! Oh my God, oh my God….I'm having a heart attack. Dear Lord, is my hair turning grey?"

They watched as Xin pressed her hands to her hair, digging through it. "Sweet Jesus, Mary and Joseph! I'm too young to die! I'm gonna die alone!" She wailed, suddenly sinking to the floor in a heap. "So this is a human break down? It's not as funny as I thought it would be," Gaara frowned in distaste. "This is no laughing matter, Gaara!" Hinata insisted, getting up to crouch at her sister's side. She prodded at her frantic sister, trying to comfort her.

"You!" Xin shrieked, suddenly jumping up. Hinata squeaked, falling to the side. Xin pointed a shaky finger in Gaara's direction, her face contorted into rage and burning bright red in her anger.

"This is your entire goddamn fault!" She began screeching in rage. "You! You! _You!_" She stormed over to him, shoving her finger in his face. "Maybe if you actually stopped and _thought_ for yourself, this could've been avoided! But nooo! You just **had** to be an obedient little _dog_ to your Father and his bandwagon of lunatics, didn't ya!?" She continued to screech at the top of your lungs.

"I didn't ask for _any_ of this! I was fine being _normal_! Fine with the fact that my family kept a façade up to _protect_ us from _demons_ like you! I didn't have to worry about any of this shit that's happening! I've been tortured, humiliated, sexually molested and damn there raped all because of _you_!"

Gaara growled, slapping her hand away from his face. In an instant, he was standing up and pushing her backwards. "Perhaps if you hadn't made that fuckin' deal all those months ago, this wouldn't be happening," He snapped in her face in annoyance. "We'd all be dead, you idiot!"

"Maybe you'd be better off that way, you bitch. I should've killed you when I had the chance." Gaara snarled down at her. Xin's face twisted into something of pure rage, resembling something of an actual demon. With a hiss, she reacted without really thinking things through. With a glowing hand, she swung out. The sound of her hand striking Gaara's face was the only sound that resonated throughout her quiet apartment.

"Fuck you!"

Naruto and Hinata watched quietly. Hinata's hands were pressed to her mouth in silent horror while Naruto remained impassive, his eyes darting back and forth between Xin and Gaara. He wondered what would happen next.

Xin turned on her heel and stormed into her room, slamming the door shut with as much force as she could muster. Five minutes clicked by before Hinata made the first move. "G-Gaara? Your face is burning. Would you like some ice?" She asked carefully, getting up.

Gaara took a large breath, exhaling through his nostrils. "No, it's fine." He replied grumpily, his eyes trained of Xin's door. Hinata nodded once and then hurried off to the kitchen, wanting to start on dinner to distract herself. She just couldn't deal with all of that at the moment. Her nerves were too jumbled up.

Once Naruto knew Hinata was focused on cooking, he slowly moved near Gaara. "Listen buddy," He started out slowly. "Don't take what Xin said to heart. She's just under a lot of stress. And humans don't deal well with stress, just give her some time." He advised his friend calmly, for once, he actually looked serious.

"To heart?" Gaara snorted, slowly sinking back into Xin's scent. "Why would I take her words to heart? As Sasori said, she's a toy. A plaything. She's starting to show her cracks," Gaara chuckled darkly.

"I don't like broken toys…"

* * *

"No, Hina. Seriously. I'm not hungry!"

Hinata ignored her sister's whines as she literally pulled her out from her room. Her sister put up a good fight, yes. But she was no match for Hinata in the pathetic state that she was in. "Liar! You're always hungry!"

"Oh my God, let me go. When the fuck did you get so strong?"

Hinata let out a huff as she forced Xin to sit on the couch next to Naruto. "You know, you should really get a dining set in here. Honestly Xin, why must we eat on the couches instead of on a proper table?" Hinata sighed heavily, shoving Xin's plate of food in her hand.

"Because my name is Xin and I do whatever the fuck I want."

"Must you use such foul language?"

"Don't judge me."

"Too late."

Hinata noted with a frown that Xin made it a point to ignore Gaara throughout the whole meal. She would casually speak with Naruto but made it seem like Gaara wasn't even sitting on the recliner, eating quietly. Hinata thought they were being quite childish. Xin was twenty and Gaara was…well…somewhere in his hundreds. They should at least have the common sense of adults and talk through their problems. Not blatantly ignore them and each other.

Ten minutes went by and nothing happened. With a heavy sigh, Hinata flopped down on the couch. "You guys, this is ridiculous!" She let out a whine, looking between them. "I don't know what you're talking about," Gaara grumbled under his breath. "Hinata, don't you start. Just enjoy the rice and fish." Xin sighed just as heavily.

Another ten minutes went by and Hinata just couldn't take it anymore. "T-That's it! You g-guys need to talk this out, right now!" She huffed, she tried to sound commanding. "N-Naruto and I are going for a walk! Talk while we're gone!" She huffed out, grabbing Naruto and forcing him away from his food.

"But Hinata! My food!"

Hinata didn't say anything, she simply shrugged on her coat, slipped into her shoes and stalked out of the apartment with Naruto in tow. Xin flinched as the door slammed closed behind them.

Ah, her sister must be seriously fed up. She never took that tone on, even thought it really wasn't too intimidating. But for her sake, Xin never told her that. She simply let Hinata believe that she could sound commanding when she wanted to.

Slowly, she took a long breath.

_Xin's P.O.V_

We sat in the living room, in an awkward silence. I looked down at my feet and wiggled my toes. Good God, I hate awkward silences. It carried on for at least ten more minutes until I let out an agitated breath.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something?" I huffed in annoyance, glaring at him. "Your food will get cold," He noted, glancing at me for a split second. I'm sure my annoyed expression melted into a blank one. "No, you idiot. I mean about earlier! Aren't you going to say anything?" Rolling my eyes, I squared my shoulders. He looks in thought and for a moment, I thought he was going to say something that would put my nerves to ease.

"What would you like to hear?"

He watched me quietly as I slapped my forehead and slid it down my face. "Just because you are your Father's dog does not mean you are mine." I shot at him. Gaara gave me a dirty look but I simply shrugged. "Well, it's true."

Another five minutes pass us by and I find myself sighing once more. "Did you really mean it?" brushing back my bangs, I glance at him in question. "What are you talking about? What is 'it'?" Gaara grumbled, shoveling more fish into his mouth. "You know, killing me when you had the chance. Would killing me really please you?" I tapped my knee nervously. He mulled over my question in thought while I rolled my lips together in my nervousness.

"Yes and no."

I gaped at him, my eyebrows drawing together in clear confusion. "What? The fuck is that supposed to mean?" I heard myself growl in anger. "Perhaps you should learn to curb your language, doll. It's not ladylike to curse as often as you do," He advised me coolly.

"Shut the hell up and answer my question!"

He sighed heavily, as if he had the right to be annoyed with me. He was the one confusing the shit out of me when I asked a simple question. A simple yes _or_ no would have sufficed. Not a fuckin' yes _and_ no. What the hell did that mean?

"Back then, it probably would have pleased me to kill you off first. It would have made things easier and neither of us would be in this predicament that we're in now." He started to tell me quietly. I sank back into the couch with a depressed frown. Figures. That stupid jerk. After all I've done for him? Allowed him to stay in my home, let all his freakish friends and enemies come and go as they please, I even cook for him! And that is the thanks I get?

"But….right now, no. I would not please me to kill you off, doll. Too much has time has passed by. And things have changed. And though death looms over, things will not go in my Father's favor. I won't allow it."

My sour mood had lifted slightly at his words.

"I'm glad."

_End P.O.V_

* * *

Hinata folded her arms behind her back with a satisfied smile. Naruto walked beside her, warding off any person who leered at her for too long. She was too beautiful for her own good, he thought in bemusement. "Do you think they will be alright?" Hinata asked as she pulled her jacket closer to her body. September was slowly easing into October. The weather was beginning to slowly stoop lower and lower.

Soon, it would snow. She couldn't wait.

"I think you worry about your sister too much. Will _you_ be alright?" He shot down at her, his arms folded behind his head. Hinata tilted her head in question, a frown etching over her pink lips. "Me?"

"How would it affect you if I were to leave?" The tall blond asked, peering into her porcelain face. Hinata seemed quite shocked at the sudden question. Why was he suddenly concerned with her feelings? What brought this on?

"How would it affect you if _you_ had to leave?" She asked slowly, wanting to dodge his question by mirroring it back towards him. Naruto frowned in thought, thinking that maybe she'd answer him once he answered her.

"Ahh, truthfully? I believe it would bother me." Naruto began to tell her. "Because you would miss Xin's silly antics?" Hinata asked him before he could finish explaining his answer to her. Naruto's hands dropped from behind his head and tucked his hands into the robes he had donned earlier when retrieving Xin from Emiko's grasp.

"Well, sure. I suppose she has bullied her way into my heart, like the irritable little tic she is." Naruto snorted while Hinata shook her head at the choice of words for her sister. But she had to admit, they were pretty much true. Xin had the tendency to bully people. Demon or human.

"But I couldn't imagine how I would feel if I had to be away from you now that I'm so close to you," Naruto said slowly, watching her face closely for her reaction. Hinata rolled her lips together and mulled over his words quietly.

Then she stopped walking suddenly, causing Naruto to jerk to a stop. "Uh, Hinata? You alright?" He frowned, peering down at her. Hinata smiled shyly, peering up at him through thick dark lashes. She played idly with her fingers and seemed to be thinking something over.

She motioned for him to lean down towards him. Naruto did as he was instructed, finding her short stature adorable. He was large, tall and muscular with unruly sunny blond hair. She was his exact opposite. Small, short and soft with dark straight hair. They must have made quite a sight. The giant and the little fairy.

He was not sure if what Kushina has said was true earlier. Naruto was never sure what love felt like. He knew the love he shared with his parents was a different type of love he would share with a female. With a mate. And he wasn't sure if he really did love Hinata like Kushina had accused him of.

But he did feel a strong pull towards her, like everything was just meant to be this way. Things were slowly falling into place. And…he was quite pleased with where the pieces were falling. Sure, Xin and Gaara were bickering, fighting, screaming at each other on a daily basis. But that was _their _problem. He was slowly starting to build an affectionate relationship with Hinata. To hell with the fact that she was a human. She was _different_.

He could see a future with this human. He really could.

"I'm glad," Hinata said softly, leaning on the tips of her toes. His face burned bright, feeling the soft peck of her pink lips two centimeters off from his lips. Hinata had just kissed him. Sure, it wasn't on the lips. But it was pretty damn close.

"That woman your Mother was talking about. Sakura-San? Do you have lingering feelings for her?" Hinata whispered as she leaned away, looking down at her shoes. Her confidence completely down the drain at the thought of his pink haired childhood friend.

"Sakura-Chan?" He asked with wide eyes, still not over the fact that she had just kissed him. But of course, his feelings for another had to be brought up. Bah. Females and their insecurities.

"I had feelings for her when we were kids. But…she always rejected me," He started off solemnly. "She had a crush on my other best friend, Sasuke-teme. And…for awhile, I thought maybe if I kept letting her know of my feelings, the ones she held for Sasuke would slowly fade. And she would turn to me." He began, eyes downcast at the memories.

"Even when Teme lost his fuckin' mind and nearly killed us all….she still held onto to those feelings. And her feelings gradually grew into love. And my feelings for her started to slowly die off. Even to this day, right at this very moment…she's tending to him. Making sure he makes a good recovery from his temporarily insanity. And I don't feel any of those feelings for her anymore. When I look at her, I see a kind but temperamental woman who I'm proud to call my best friend. And that's all she is, my friend."

Sometimes when he thought about that, it still hurt. Rejection was something no one wanted to experience. Even demons. In Naruto's eyes, everyone, including demons, wanted to know that there was somebody out there to call their own. To know you have something to return to and something worth fighting for.

He wanted what his parents had. They had mutual love and respect for one another and Naruto wanted that so bad. His Father still saw the young girl he fell in love with whenever he looked at his Mother. It was evident in his eyes his feelings hadn't changed.

If Naruto could get that, he'd be set for life.

A pair of slim arms wrapping around his neck brought him out of his musings. Again, she stood on the tips of her toes so she could properly hug him. Naruto inwardly laughed, it was so adorable how short she was, seriously.

"It would truly make me happy if you would stay by my side," She whispered into his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hefted her up against his body and off the tips of her toes.

It wasn't a declaration of love, but it didn't have to be. For now, it would due. Because he felt wanted by her. Not for his power, not for his status in the demon world. She just wanted him there simply for him.

He could only smile widely.

* * *

"So…." Xin trailed off, looking at Gaara with a questioning stare. For the last couple of minutes, they had been playing twenty questions to past the time and to ignore the obvious thick sexual tension between them.

Gaara learned that Xin would be twenty-one in December, she hated the winter, and she loved to sing and listen to music. She was a glutton for junk food, she's been boxing since she was ten and used to train in gymnastics as well. She graduated high school early but was somewhat of a troublemaker during her high school life. Her favorite color was purple and she loved reading horror-stories.

On the other hand, Xin learned that Gaara's birthday was in January and would be one-hundred and twenty, he wasn't used to cold climates since his hometown was located in a desert. He liked to cultivate cactus and his favorite food was salted tongue. He had to think about it, but his favorite color was blood-red and maroon. When home, he carried around a large gourd filled with sand that smelled like blood.

"Since Emiko was like crazy…I bet she was freaky in the bed?" Xin gave a sheepish smile as he stared at her with a frown. "Are you asking me if she…." He trailed off. "A freak in the bed? Basically." She wiggled her fingers together, indicating sex. Gaara shrugged impassively. "She liked to be tied up," He offered, trying to remember his sex life with that particular woman. "I see. Your turn," She motioned for him to ask her a question that she would answer truthfully.

"Did you enjoy your first time having sex?"

"Does anyone?"

"Some people. And don't answer my question with a question."

Gaara watched as her eyes clouded over in sudden shame and disgust. "No, I didn't enjoy it," She said in a clipped tone. He squinted at her, wondering what the hell had happened to her once jovial mood. "My turn. How many sex partners have you had?" She said in a hurried tone, obviously she wanted to move on from the thought of her first time having sex. "I dunno, fifteen maybe?"

"Maybe?" She frowned blankly. "Demons have different views and tolerance for sex than humans," He grumbled darkly. "You're a bunch of whores? Is that your view on sex? Whoring around is okay?"

"I believe it's my turn to ask a question."

"Ugh, whatever. Shoot."

"Shoot?"

"Is that your question, cuz' it's pretty damn terrible."

Gaara rolled his eyes. Clearly he was still unfamiliar to human terms and quotes. What the hell did 'shoot' mean? What was he 'shooting'? Xin noticed his confused expression and sighed, waving her hand. "I'll explain later. Just ask your question."

"What was so bad about your first sexual experience?"

Xin's eyes seemed to widen. She bit her bottom lip and stared at him long and hard. "I…" She trailed off, looking down to the floor. "Doll?" He called to her, wondering what was going through her mind. She inhaled through her nose and dug her nails into her thighs, rolling her lips together. The once relaxed woman had suddenly tensed up with a faraway expression on her face. She looked like she was about to throw up.

"I…."

"Doll?"

"I was raped."

Gaara stared at her long and hard, his features suddenly turning stony. "Raped?" He repeated the word, staring her down. "Yeah. Raped. As in forced into having sex without proper consent." Xin spat out, drawing her knees to her chest and resting her chin on the top of her knees.

"By whom?"

"My first boyfriend. I suppose you're going to want to know why I let it happen or whatever, right? I mean, I was a boxer and all." Xin sighed heavily, staring at him with half-lidded eyes. Gaara only nodded.

"I was only fourteen and he was sixteen, almost seventeen. I guess you could say it was an act of rebellion with dating him. You know, going against my parents and seeing someone they disapprove of?" She softly began her story, not meeting the demon's gaze.

"My sister and I had developed early. Even though I was only fourteen, I was kind of…um…heavy? Not fat, but you know…my chest….hips, all of that jazz," She wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to find comfort with digging up the old memory.

"I had stayed out late with him one night. We were kissing and drinking, you know, fooling around and dumb shit like that. He got a little too touchy-feely and his hands started to…wander. He was ripping off my clothes before I could even comprehend what the hell was going on."

"I tried to be comfortable with it. He was my boyfriend and my dumbass thought we were in love. Obviously we weren't, but c'mon, I was fourteen and lacked common sense. But I couldn't, so I asked him to stop. He didn't. So I started to fight back against him. Unfortunately at the time, I still hadn't built up a tolerance for alcohol. I wasn't fully drunk, but the liquor had gotten into my system and had slowed me down." Xin paused, running a hand through her thick locks.

"He pinned me down…and well….raped me. It was painful. I mean, it hurt like a fuckin' bitch. He didn't wait for my body to adjust to him, to the sudden stretching or anything. He just ripped into me and….fucked me without caring. I cried and screamed the whole time. But his friends didn't care and of course my friends weren't there. So, he got away with raping me. I guess you could blame him for why I'm so adamant against having sex with people I don't love. All because of him."

"Does anyone know that happened to you?" Gaara asked quietly after she was finished her story. He watched as she rolled her lips together and wiped violently at her eyes. An attempt to stop her tears from coming. But he could see, her nose was beginning to redden and tears were gathering at the corner of her eyes.

Silently she shook her head no. She hadn't told a soul. Not her parents, not her friends, not even her sisters. She couldn't. If she had, they would not think of her as the strong female that she made herself out to be. They would pity her and think she was weak for letting it happen.

And maybe she was weak. But she would never let them see it.

"Maybe that's why when Emiko had suggested allowing Sasori to rape me, I didn't burst out into tears and beg her no. Can you rape someone whose already been raped? How would it affect a person being raped by a different person at a different time in her life?" Xin mused in a broken tone.

She was completely caught off guard when Gaara suddenly sat next to her. "Stupid little woman, of course it will affect you." Gaara grumbled, reaching out and grabbing onto her. Despite the fact that she pulled against his hands, he brought her close to his chest.

"What is his name?"

"Why?"

"His name, doll."

"Please don't make me say it. I haven't said it in six years. I don't want to."

"You will eventually. And when you do, I will find him and kill him."

"How sweet of you. All for me?"

Gaara snorted but Xin smiled anyway. "I will not think differently of you if you wish to cry," He mumbled into her hair, basking in her intoxicating smell. Xin chuckled, but it sounded so tired and just…lost.

"I'm fine, really. I'm just gonna take a nap, okay?" She slipped out of his hold and smiled down at him. "Although it brought memories up, it feels okay that I told you about this. I guess I trust you enough now." She laughed out softly. Leaning down, she pecked him on the forehead like he often did to her. "Thanks."

He watched as she sauntered off to her bedroom, quietly closing the door behind herself. He watched the door until he heard her blanket shift and her breathing slowly start to relax, indicating that she had drifted of to bed.

This woman was full of surprises.

* * *

_"Stop! Stop! I told you no, dammit!"_

_Xin screeched as she beat on his bare chest with her fists. But her weak punches powered by Vodka made no difference to him. His eyes narrowed down at her she continued to assault him with weak punches._

_"C'mon honey, it'll be fun. Just relax." He purred, kissing her neck. "I don't want it! Stop it," She continued to scream. Above her, he growled in frustration and swiftly slapped her, stunning her for mere seconds._

_In those seconds, he snatched her wrists up and pinned them over her head. "Now," He breathed into her face, his breath smelling vile and rank. "Just be a good girl. You're going to like this." _

_Xin's heart pounded against her ribcage as he hooked his finger into her panties, slowly sliding them down her pale legs. "Stop!" She screeched again, violently whipping her head back and forth. But he paid no mind to her pleas. He was fueled by alcohol and lust and nothing was going to stop him. _

_She snapped her eyes shut when she heard him slipping his jeans off with just one hand. Once he was done with that, he grabbed her knee and forced her legs apart with a chuckle. "Little Xinny, you smell so good," He hummed to her, causing her to hiss in disgust._

_She tried to distract herself. Sing a song, she thought. She screamed the lyrics of some random song that had been stuck in her head, desperate to ignore what was about to happen to her. __Her stomach churned when she felt something poking at her entrance. She sucked in a deep breath, made sure her eyes were screwed shut and continued to scream lyrics in her head._

_But nothing could prepare or distract her from the pain that erupted from her core as he slammed into her so suddenly. She couldn't control the pained screech that exploded from her lips. She couldn't stop the tears as he violently rocked into her, stretching her walls with his sudden intrusion. _

_While he moaned above her, she cried in utter horror, pain and disgust. Horror that her body was being violated. Pain that was brought on from the violence. And disgust, because she allowed something to happen. _

_Did she deserve this?_

_She must have deserved it, since it was happening._

Xin's eyes snapped open and she flung herself up with a jolted cry. Her breathing was heavy as she searched wildly around the room. Was he in here? Was he back to further sully her body? Had he not had enough? Were her cries of anguish not enough for him?

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she remembered that day. The pain in her lower body, the betrayal she felt for the person she thought loved her. She felt so disgusted with herself. It had been her fault.

The door suddenly swung open, causing her to jump. "Xin? Are you alright?" Naruto asked as he and Hinata scrambled into her room. Xin ran her fingers through her bangs as the two crowded her sides with worried expressions.

"I'm fine. Where's Gaara and how long have you guys been home?" Xin fumbled over her words. "He's in the living room." Naruto pointed back outside of her room. "We've been here for almost two hours, Xin. You've been asleep every since we got back," Hinata grabbed at Xin, rubbing her arms soothingly.

"I need a shower. And my cigarettes. Hinata, get them for me while I shower…" Xin mumbled, stumbling out of her bed and out of her room. "She smokes?" Naruto tilted his head, watching Xin stalk to the bathroom. Hinata sighed in disdain with a frown. "Only when something is seriously stressing her out. Do you think she and Gaara got into another argument?" Her voice dropped, wondering what happened between the two while they were gone.

"Naw….Gaara isn't in a bad mood. He does seem upset though…" Naruto trailed off thoughtfully, leading Hinata out of the bedroom. "Gaara, what'd you do to Xin?" Naruto asked as they stepped back into the living room. Gaara glanced up from his bowl of rice with a frown.

"What did I do? I didn't do anything to her."

He watched with hooded eyes as the two settled on the couch. "Then what's wrong with her?" Naruto frowned, eying his friend. "She had a nightmare. I would think it was quite terrible," Gaara replied dryly. Naruto gave him a blank look.

"She was crying." Naruto added with a quirked eyebrow, watching out of the corner of his eyes as Naruto turned to stare him down. "Was she?" He tried to ask calmly. "Yeah, must have been some nightmare…"

The bathroom door swung open to reveal Xin's flushed face. "Who died in here?" She asked with a forced grin. She plopped down next to her sister and held out her hand. With a frown, Hinata dropped the carton of cigarettes in her outstretched hand.

"I hate when you smoke…"

"That's why I usually do it when you aren't here…"

Hinata let out a huff as her sister began to smoke her stress away. "I'm just gonna smoke one, okay?" Xin sighed heavily, releasing a steady stream of smoke from her mouth. "So, Xinny…what'd you guys do while we were out?" Naruto asked, wondering if Xin would hint at what had her so worked up.

"Ah, we played twenty questions." Xin shrugged, focusing on her cigarette. "Did he tell you something that made you upset?" Naruto pried at her, causing her to give him an odd look. She poked her bottom lip out in thought. "No, I don't remember anything that really bothered me. I mean, I thought carrying a big gourd of bloody sand around was a bit odd. But who I am to judge at this point?" She snorted with a shrug.

"For fuck sakes, woman! We wanna know why you were crying and screaming in your sleep!"

Xin and Hinata both flinched at Naruto's sudden shouting. Xin nearly dropped her cigarette in shock. "Naruto, what the fuck is wrong with you? Don't randomly shout in people's ears!" She chided him with a frown. "Me? You're the one screaming in the middle of the night." Naruto shot back at her. Xin blushed instantly with a frown. "Shut up! I had a nightmare, okay!?" She huffed, wanting to jump across her sister to strangle the blond demon.

"What kind of scary ass nightmare? We're just worried about you!" Naruto snapped back at her. Xin violently puffed on her cigarette, wanting to desperately calm down. "Look, I don't need you to worry about me, alright? I'm a grown ass woman and I don't need anyone to worry about me. Especially when it happened six years ago!"

Hinata's eyebrows drew together in question. "Six years ago? When we were fourteen? What happened when we were fourteen?" Hinata turned a serious stare on her sister. Xin groaned and shrunk down. "This your fuckin' fault, Naruto…." She mumbled into her chest.

"Alright, alright. That's enough. Xin, you want to calm down? Fine. Let's go," Gaara suddenly got up and moved towards the pale woman. She shrieked when he yanked her up by her elbow and dragged her towards the front door.

"Where the fuck are we going? This is kidnapping!"

"Shut up, you're going to mediate and strengthen your abilities."

"Why?!"

"Because that little love tap you hit me with earlier is not going to harm anything."

"Shut the fuck up!"

Naruto and Hinata watched as the door eased closed behind the demon and the struggling miko. "Well, that went well…" Naruto snorted while folding his burly arms across his broad chest. Hinata frowned and grabbed Xin's carton of cigarettes. She quickly shoved them into the cushion of the couch, hoping her sister would forget about them.

"What happened six years ago…?"

* * *

_She can fuck you good,  
__but I can fuck you betta  
__Etta etta etta etta etta eh  
__Betta etta etta etta etta etta  
__I can fuck you betta etta etta etta etta etta eh  
__She can fuck you good, but I can fuck you_

Naruto and Gaara watched as Xin cooked in the kitchen, singing loudly. Hinata didn't sing along with her _(the lyrics were much too explicit for her_!) but she did dance to her sister's singing while helping with the cooking. Days had gone by and Xin had returned to her normal self without any mention of what happened days ago.

"Is she still just your toy?"

"I dunno, do you plan on stalking Hinata once you return home again?"

Naruto growled and smacked Gaara in the side of his face with one of the throw pillows. "Mature, really." Gaara grumbled, shoving at Naruto's shoulder. Naruto shifted and rubbed his palms together, thinking something over.

"Oi, Gaara?"

"Hm?"

"What if…we didn't go back."

Gaara glanced at his best friend, frowning hard. "Didn't go back?" Gaara echoed in question. "I'm not saying that we'll never go back. We just…won't go back for awhile. I kind of like it down here. Aside from the random people from your past, it much easier down here than it is back home."

"Right. And this has nothing to do with Hinata?" Gaara asked with a '_are you kidding_ _me?_' look. Naruto seemed to freeze up in guilt. A moment later, he was smiling and laughing nervously. "What are you trying to suggest?"

"I was simply asking a question." Gaara shrugged, feigning boredom. "I'm just saying, don't you feel more at eased here? Sure, you and Xinny argue a lot, but it's just because you want to fuck her and she keeps slapping you away. But to me, it feels right. I feel like we belong here." Naruto said thoughtfully with a strong nod.

Gaara rolled his eyes. Naruto had always been like this. Ever since they children. He had been teased for it, of course. He was much too soft for a demon. An embarrassment he had been to all demons. And to think, such a soft child had been born to Minato and Kushina.

But, as time passed on. His softness began to fade as he was molded into a hard murderous demon. It was times when his eyes would turn a ruby red and his pupils would thin out into slits. His hair would grow wild and his whisker-like tattoos would turn more ragged. It was at those moments where he was not soft. In those moments, he was called Kyuubi.

Gaara knew that Naruto was not soft as others would call him. He was hopeful. He had silly ideals. While Gaara was a realist, his best friend was an idealist. And there was nothing wrong with that, Gaara supposed. Nothing at all.

"Your Mother was right, wasn't she? You're in love with her."

Gaara wasn't surprised.

* * *

_TeeBeMe: And that my dears, is chapter seven. I recently had a dear friend of mine read this story over and she suggested that Xin sounded like a rape victim because of the way she acted towards the idea of sex. It might be cliché, but I think it might be fitting. What do you guys think?_

**Xin: How come Hinata gets all the nice, mushy love parts?**

_TeeBeMe: Cuz' you fell in love with Gaara and he doesn't do 'mushy love parts', now get over it._

_To my dear Akari. Wolf. Princess: I love you. Like, I do. I listened to Neon Hitch's F U Betta and I looooved it. And I'm not too fond of Matsuri myself. But, she will make an appearance in this story. I'm so glad people love my little violent midget of an OC. _

_And to my lovely hopefaith11: YYH came in second to Ouran on the poll, therefore I'm making a story for both fandoms. _

_OokamiLover19: I haven't had the chance to read Jealousy of Demons, but you bet your ass I will!_

_Authorchik039: Now, what kind of author would I be if I allowed Kiyone to kill off Xinny so early in the story, my dear? _

_XXxliaaxXX: I'm so glad you love this story and I'm even more glad that you think Xin and Gaara go together great, thank you love! _

_Kiteria: I want them to have sex too, but I'm afraid Gaara thinks love is just a useless emotion for now. Although he does care for Xin to some extent. It's going to take him some time to fall for her. You know I always have to add humor to my stories! And I'm sure Gaara would not be pleased to know Xin dabbled in drugs! _

_Panda-Chan8: My dear Panda-Chan, your reviews are my highlight! You always show so much love to my story. I'm grateful to have you reading my story!_

_ALPHAD-101: Thank you so much for reviewing! Yes, Emiko was a crazy bitch, but can ya blame her? Love is a dangerous emotion! I couldn't let Emiko kill Xinny, Gaara was going to have to step in at some point! Luckily he didn't care too much for Emiko. Oh well. Gaara couldn't help himself when molesting her in her sleep, Xinny has a lovely body, don't you think? _

_CuteyJayAnimeLover1: Yes, Xin is quite the force to be reckoned with, even if she is getting her ass kicked. You can call her what you want, but don't call her fat! _

**Xin: TeeBeMe is going to try to reply to everyone's review from now on. Think she can do it? **

_TeeBeMe: Yep! I have a habit of including a different character for every new chapter. Anyone wanna take a guess at whose gonna come into the story for chapter eight? And while we're at it, someone should do some fanart! Yep, I asking you guys for fanart to stroke my dying ego. I can't draw for real for shit. _

**Xin: How shameless. Begging are we? Tsk tsk. Anyway, please drop a review by! It would be much appreciated!**


	8. The way I'm feeling I just can't deny

_TeeBeMe: Updateeee! _

**Xin: TeeBeMe has no legal rights over the Naruto manga, anime, video games or characters. She does however, own myself and other OCs.**

* * *

"Is this really necessary?"

Kiyone sighed blankly as her granddaughter was pulled into the courtyard by her blond headed demon friend. Hinata stood next to her Grandmother and Gaara was off to the side, arms folded across his chest.

"Is what necessary?" She asked blankly, arms folded behind her back. Naruto clapped his hands down on Xin's shoulders to make sure she didn't run off. "This whole thing!" She groaned, motioning to her outfit and the bow she held in her hand.

Weeks had gone by without anything happening. But Gaara and Naruto both knew that most likely, they were being watched. And both demons knew that as soon as the girls were out of their sight, enemies would make their moves to strike Xin down.

So, they had sought out Kiyone and asked her to help the two girls with honing their abilities. Here they stood, in Kiyone's large courtyard holding bows and arrows and dressed in the traditional miko garb.

"I mean, do we really have to wear these robes? And what's the point of learning how to use bows and arrows? When am I ever going to have a handy dandy bow at my disposal? I can't carry them around! People will look at me like I'm a loon!" Xin huffed and puffed as she patted at her sleeve.

"Because it's what priestesses used, you twit. Mikos aren't known as fighters. They don't box," Kiyone reminded her with a sour look. "Hey, it keeps me healthy and in shape. And besides, we're not in the Meiji period. This is the twenty-first century!"

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "If you ever paid attention, you'd know that the Miko act was generally outlawed during that era, you twit. The Hyuuga clan descended here during the Jōmon period…" Kiyone snorted at Xin's lack of knowledge. Xin frowned and crossed her arms, glancing at Gaara. "It's true. The Hyuuga clan left during the Jōmon era of this world," He nodded along with Kiyone. "Well…excuse me then!" Xin huffed, folding her arms across her chest in a huff.

"Shut up and get to work…"

* * *

_Hinata's P.O.V_

Xin let out a loud groan fell backwards in a patch of grass as Grandmother allowed us our break. "I don't wanna do this anymore," She whined out childishly, kicking her legs out in a miniature tantrum. "Oh shut up. Aren't you a boxer?" Grandmother rolled her eyes at her childishness. "Hinata, go fetch something to drink to shut your spoiled sister up. And bring my pipe as well," She sighed heavily, patting my shoulder.

I nodded my head with a small smile and turned back, dashing into her large home. I slowed down, dreading that I may run into my Grandfather. Surely he'd scold me for running in his home.

I grabbed her pipe first and tucked it into my robes. I don't know why Xin complained about the robes. They were quite useful. I hurried to the kitchen and asked one of the maids about the drinks they had at the moment. They told me they would bring our drinks out for us, I thanked them and quickly returned.

When I came back, Grandmother was sitting on the back porch, watching Xin. Naruto and Gaara had joined her, except they sat on her sides instead of lying down next to her. I smiled fondly at them. Xin suddenly shifted, laying her head in Naruto's lap and tossing her legs over Gaara's lap.

"I've never seen demons so relaxed before," Grandmother stated as I handed her the pipe she had asked for. "You've seen demons before?" I asked in shock. I knew she knew that demons existed, but I didn't know she met some before. She prepared her pipe and smoked it slowly, inhaling the smoke.

"They were a few that would come into the human world to cause havoc when I was much younger. Before I was married and had your Mother. I was the head Miko, so I had to purify a lot of demons. But as the years grew on, they came less and less. And finally, they simply stopped right around the two of you were born," She explained to me, watching the three.

"And in all my years of dealing with demons, I've never met a demon like those two boys before. But I can sense their strengths through their auras. I can smell the blood that stains their bodies."

I listened quietly as she explained her thoughts to me. She can smell the blood on them? I never really thought much of it, but they were killers. In their world, killing came easy to them. It was their second nature. To be quite honest, I was falling in love with a murderer….

I suddenly felt my heart sink to my stomach.

"Xin houses the three of you in her apartment?" Grandmother asked me, breaking me of my thoughts. I didn't even realize I had started to shake with the thought of being in love with a killer. But he seemed so….different.

"Yes, she and I share her room and the boys sleep out in the living room," I told her, knowing she would disapprove if the two of them slept in the room with us. But Xin wouldn't allow them to sleep in the room with us; she always claimed they would take advantage of us in our sleep.

"Perhaps you should buy a bigger home," She suggested without a trace of emotion. I frowned at her, tilting my head to the side. "You would be fine with us living with the two of them?" I asked slowly.

"Your sister's apartment can't properly house the four of you. It was built for one. She doesn't even have a proper dining room, the idiot." She rolled her eyes and I giggled softly. "And I can tell they probably won't be leaving you two anytime soon."

I paused in the middle of my giggles to frown. "What makes you think they won't return back to the demon realm?"

"If they wanted to go back, they would've already gone."

That was true. Gaara could just go back and deal with his Father in the demon realm. Instead, he decided to stay here and watch over my sister. Wouldn't it have been much easier if he simply went back?

And Naruto. He told Kushina that he stayed for so long to protect me. But in reality, no harm had come for me. Everyone was bent on killing Xin because she had stepped into Gaara's path, stopping him from destroying us all.

What made them stay?

I needed to talk to Xin soon. Perhaps she knew? I doubted it. She would probably suggest asking Naruto and Gaara why they insisted on staying. In some time, our skills would be perfected and we might not need their protection. Would they leave then?

"Alright Xin! Breaks over. Get your bows ready girls!"

"Goddammit, you old bat. I was falling asleep!"

Sometimes my sister was such an idiot.

_End P.O.V_

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

They watched as I flew around my apartment with interested eyes. Judging me, no doubt. OCD, they'd call me. Clean-freak, they'd say. But me? A clean-freak? It was _so_ not true!

So what if everything had to be in order? So what if the smallest of smudges set me off? So what if a dirty room sent me off the deep end? Is it so bad that I just like have a clean home? No! Not at all!

And maybe I was a health-freak. After every piece of junk food I ate, I had to burn it off. There was nothing wrong with that, right? There was nothing wrong with staying in shape. And sure, I did smoke from time to time. But I didn't smoke the whole carton!

Every time I was finished smoking; I brushed my teeth six times. Hinata had insisted that it was due to some psychological trauma I had experienced as a kid. But me? Traumatized? By what?!

Okay, okay. So I was raped.

But that was only once. It wasn't like I was raped repeatedly. And I certainly wasn't traumatized. I didn't swear of sex at all. I just refused to have sex with a person I didn't love. And maybe I just like to let my sexual tension release through cleaning and being healthy.

Not that cleaning and eating healthy turned me on. I'm not the freak here, don't get any ideas. I'm just saying that cleaning and boxing the living shit out of people helped me release pent up anger, disgust and sexual tension that I had.

See? I'm not so crazy now that I've explained why I like to clean so much, right?

"Doll," Gaara suddenly interfered with my cleaning, catching my wrist as I violently scrubbed at a blood stain. "Gaara, let go! I need to get this stain out. I already let it sit for days," I began to huff and puff, my eyes glued to the stain. He yanked the scrub from my hand and threw it off to the side. I let out a squeak of discomfort as I watched it sail off to be lost. With an annoyed growl, he grabbed my face and forced me to look into his eyes.

"You're tired, doll. Your hands are turning red from all the scrubbing and the boiling water you're using. And I'm sure those cleaning chemicals are not healthy for you. Take a break," He ordered me slowly, absently running his thumbs over my cheeks.

I screwed up my lips in annoyance. "Oi. Why do you call me doll all the time now?" I suddenly wondered out loud. Out of nowhere, I noticed he didn't really call me 'girl' or 'woman' anymore that much. He called me doll all the time now, which I thought was weird.

He frowned because of my out of the blue question. His eyes rolled up to the side in thought. "You resemble a China doll, I suppose." He replied after thinking it over. "Long and soft dark hair, large eyes, red or pink lips, clear porcelain skin." His voice dropped into a sensual whisper. "So easy to break. So fragile," He continued, backing me into the wall. I vaguely wondered where the hell Naruto and Hinata had run off to. Couldn't they see that I was about to be ravaged by a sex-crazed demon? Bah, some help they were!

I felt a swell of panic burst through my chest and I quickly ducked out from under him. "Fragile, right…" I laughed nervously, backing away. Gaara's eyes narrowed at me as I smiled weakly. "What's the matter with you?" He suddenly asked me, causing me to pause.

"What are you talking about?" I rolled my eyes, marching towards the kitchen. "You've been acting odd the past couple of days," Gaara said, following after me. I rolled my eyes and glanced around the kitchen. I didn't see what was so odd about cleaning up my home he had partially destroyed! It was all his fuckin' fault. And those three other knuckleheads.

"You're scaring your sister and Naruto."

"What? That's nonsense."

"You've been cleaning all day. You smacked the living hell out of Naruto because he almost dropped ramen on the couch."

"I just finished scrubbing the couches down!"

Gaara scoffed and leaned against the frame of the door. "Look, you refuse to let me go to the gym. My only other way to relax is to clean and eat healthy foods right now," I reminded him with a huff and screwed up lips. "When I met you, I didn't think you'd be such a healthy neat-freak."

"It's cuz' I found Jesus in my life when I was sixteen."

"Who?"

"Are you really that ignorant to other people's religions?"

"You aren't even a follower of that religion. And I'm a demon. I don't do religion."

I shot him a glare and turned around to rifle through my cabinets and make sure that everything was in Alphabetical order. "What happened to you when you were sixteen that turned you into such a nut-case about cleanliness?" Gaara suddenly asked me, causing me to whirl around with red puffy cheeks.

"I'm not a nut-case about cleanliness!" I huffed first, fixing a fierce glare on his ass. "And if you must know," I paused, crossing my arms across my chest. "I kinda like….OD on some…stuff. When I was in my coma, Jesus appeared to me and requested that I turn a new leaf." I explained, wringing my fingers together.

"OD?"

"Over-dosed."

"On stuff? What type of stuff?"

I laughed nervously, rocking on the back of my heels. "Some funny stuff. It was either meth, shrooms or PCP. I can't really remember and I don't like to talk about it too much. After meeting Jesus, who saved me from my _sins_, I cleaned and ate healthy to kind of….stray from my dangerous path?"

Gaara stared at me long and hard and I shifted nervously under his gaze. I didn't have the cleanest path and I probably won't have the cleanest future either. I made some mistakes and I know that. But I'm living much better now and okay, I sometimes smoke cigarettes here and there. But like I said, it's usually just one cigarette and I brush my teeth until my gums start to bleed! I'm a changed woman, honest!

"And when did you spiral out of control to lead this dangerous life?"

I frowned in thought, trying to remember what age I had been when I first started my rebellious phase. "I'unno, fourteen, fifteen?" I shrugged, not really making any connections that he obviously was making.

"So, right around the time you were raped," He began to say, which caused me to flinch at the mention of it. "You started to do drugs?" He turned a questioning gaze on me. "Are you trying to suggest something?" I narrowed my eyes, sliding onto the counter after making sure it was wiped down.

"Only that humans have minds that are easily broken and they need to find an outlet to try and forget about any psychological damage done to them," Gaara shrugged blankly, folding his arms across his wide chest. I scoffed, curling my upper lip and cocking my head backwards. "Are you trying to say that because I was raped, I tried to find something to take my mind off of it? So I turned to drugs…and when that nearly killed me, I turned to cleaning and eating healthy?"

"I never said any of that. You did, however."

Again, I scoffed. As if! Me being raped had nothing to do with my tampering with drugs! I was just being a hard-headed teenager girl. It was a simple cry for attention, my therapist said so! Not that I even needed that quack. Mom thought it would be good to talk to someone after I woke up from my drug-induced coma.

"Well then…that is utter bullshit. Being raped had nothing to do with playing with drugs. I did not break and I did not dwell on it." I huffed, poking my lower-lip out. How dare he?!

"And quit giving me that look! Don't try to act all innocent. Being raped and doing drugs is nothing compared to things you've probably done." I snapped hotly, jumping off the counter and marching over to him. I hated the look he was giving me. As if he was too good to be around me now that he knew I had a troubled past growing up.

"And what have I done?" He asked dryly, looking down his nose at me. I got all up in his face, shoving my finger towards his face. I'm starting to think that's the first thing I'll do each time we argue. Shove my finger in his face.

"Oh please. You're a demon. You're damned from the start. You've killed, no doubt. You probably even stole from people, tortured them and raped women. Tell me, how many babies did you kill, hm? How many women did you tear through, ignoring their screams? How many people did you _break_?" I hissed, poking him in the face.

His hand lashed out and I assumed he was going to slap the living shit out of me. I hadn't meant to say those words, I really hadn't. But he made me so angry right at that moment. No one deserved to be taunted about their past. I sure as hell didn't like it, so what made me think he'd like it? I'm a firm believer in equal rights. And at that moment, I deserved to be slapped.

But instead, he simply caught my wrist in his hand. He squeezed on it threateningly. For a moment, it reminded me of the first time I met Sasori and he attempted to break my wrist as a warning. He yanked me closer, his other hand resting at the base of my spine. He dipped down _(because this fucker towered over me) _and whispered in my ear.

"I'll admit, my past is not innocent. I've done some things I regret and that I don't regret. But _you_, little human, have no idea what you're getting yourself into just by assuming things. I suggest you keep your mouth shut when it comes to the things I've done. And if I want to tell you what I've done, I will. But for now, you simply cannot handle the truth. So keep your nose out of my dirty business."

It caught me off guard when he suddenly shoved me away to stalk back into the living room. I nearly slipped and fell on my ass but at the last second, caught myself. After regaining my footing, I stared at him from where I stood.

Oh, right. I'm the bipolar one though?

* * *

"And where the hell did you two go?"

I snapped as Hinata and Naruto walked back into my apartment. If those two knuckleheads had been here, all that shit I went through with Gaara just now could have been avoided. But nooo. They wanted to be selfish little twits and go off to candy-land.

"We went for a walk. What's wrong?" Hinata frowned at me, shrugging out of her coat and hanging it up. "Oh, it's just _so_ nice that you two can just go off and skip down gingerbread road while picking daises while I'm _stuck_ here with Mr. Bipolar asshole," I continued to snap, pointing a finger at Gaara.

"Gingerbread road?"

"Yeah…the Muffin-man lives on Gingerbread road."

"Muffins?"

"Gingerbread road..? No he doesn't."

"Yeah…he does."

"No, Xin. The muffin man lives on Drury lane."

"Drury lane? What the fuck is a Drury?"

"The lane he lives on, I would think."

"Did you just get smart with me?"

Naruto glanced at the two of us. "You speak of muffins? Are there any muffins?" He asked slowly, looking down at me. I frowned, giving him a _'wtf'_ look. "Who the hell thinks of muffins at a time like this?!" I huffed in annoyance, throwing my arms around. "You were the one who mentioned muffins first, you crazy she-devil!"

I glared at him in annoyance. "Never mind the muffins!" I snapped at him again. Then I paused, tilting my head to the side. "On second thought…muffins right now would be pretty damn good." I mumbled, going back to the kitchen.

Searching through the cabinets, I was disappointed to discover that I didn't have any batter to make the muffins. Leaving the kitchen, I went to my door and slid my shoes and hoodie on. "Where are you going?" Hinata asked, watching me from the couch. "We don't have any muffin batter so I'm gonna go get some," I told her, swinging the door open. "By yourself?" She asked, putting an emphasis on her words. I looked at her over my shoulder, frowning. "Yeah, so?"

"What happened the last time you went out by yourself, Xinny?" Naruto mocked-sung, giving me a toothy grin. "First, you can't sing. Shut the fuck up. And second, the market is like right down the street and around the corner. It's not a whole car-ride away like the gym," I reminded the two, leaning my hip into the door.

"Don't be so mean to Naruto, Xin," Hinata gave me her best stank look. "I really don't want you going out by yourself, especially with that death warrant you've got. Gaara, could you please go with her?" Hinata swiveled around to face my enemy/friend. I didn't know what to call him at this point. He was way too damn bipolar.

Gaara sagged his shoulders, as if looking after me was a hassle. It was his damn fault I had to be looked after. Was my Father the one putting out bounties on his fuckin' head? Nope, that his Father! I'm the victim, goddammit.

Despite his sour reaction, he stood up and went to the window. "Hurry up, woman," He barked at me, jumping out of my window. I sighed heavily. Dear God, don't let anyone see him jump out of my window. That would be extremely hard to explain to the neighbors.

"Back to calling you woman? Did you two argue again?" Naruto asked me as I started to leave. "No," I snapped out bitterly before slamming the door close so he didn't ask me anymore questions.

I hurried downstairs and met him right outside the front doors. I nearly slammed into his stupid chest. At the last second, I pushed myself backwards and shoved my hands into my pockets. "Let's go," I ordered, storming down the streets.

The trip to the market was uneventful. We weren't attacked by any crazy ass mofo of a demon and we didn't bicker. The girls at the market couldn't help themselves and drooled all over the damn place at the market though. Hope it made his bastard ass uncomfortable.

However, we did run into an old friend on the way back.

Gaara carried my bag of baking supplies without a complaint, which surprised me. What if he broke a nail, the spoiled ass. Dear Lord, don't let him break a nail!

In the middle of my funny _(face it, I'm fuckin' hilarious)_ musings, I heard someone shout my name. I paused and Gaara did the same. We both looked over a shoulders to see a person dressed up in green sweatpants and a matching green hoodie jogging towards us.

I instantly recognized his signature bushy eyebrows and black bowl-cut hairstyle. "Well, if it isn't Rock Lee!" I grinned as he finally caught up to the two of us. I stepped forward and gave him a great big ol' Xinny hug. "It's been awhile," I grinned, stepping out of the embrace first.

"It has…" Lee grinned back at me, glancing discreetly at Gaara. Turning to my redheaded companion, I was shocked to see him staring at Lee so intently. "Gaara?" I asked, tapping his arm. I broke him out of his trance and he blinked long and hard for a moment before glancing down at me.

"Yes, doll?"

Rolling my lips together nervously, I instantly picked up on his odd behavior. "A friend of yours, Xinny?" Lee asked slowly, watching closely as Gaara's free hand snaked around my waist tightly, pulling me to the side. "You could say that," I smiled weakly at my old friend.

"Gaara, this is Lee. I met him at the gym. He was one of my tag team partners during the tournaments," I explained to Gaara. "I remember those days. A shame you retired before you even hit your prime, Xinny. It's nice to meet you, Gaara." Lee's voice got all funny at the end, like he was sharing an inside joke with Gaara or something.

"Likewise," Gaara replied stonily, going back to his odd staring. "What are you up to these days, Xinny? I went to the gym yesterday. Jer told me you don't come around too often to box anymore. Something about a boyfriend having all of your attention? Is Gaara-San that boyfriend?" Lee asked me suspiciously.

"Jer told you that?" my voice got all squeaky and pitchy, indicating that I'm nervous and I'm probably about to lie. "I think old man Jer is finally going senile. I've just been dealing with a lot of family things," I waved it off with a smile. It wasn't a complete lie. It was just half the truth. Man, I've got to stop telling the truth partially and lying partially.

"Really? You know, you didn't deny that Gaara-San was your boyfriend though," Lee pointed out slyly, causing my face to heat up. "Man, look at the time. We gotta go. You should hit me up sometime later to box! I still live at the same apartment with the same number! Call me!" I shot out nervously, spinning around and dragging Gaara off.

"You know you didn't even look at the time!" Lee called out from behind us. "I'm too pretty to know what time it is!" I called back, throwing him a nervous grin before sharply turning the corner.

Well, if that wasn't weird…I dunno what is.

_End P.O.V_

* * *

Gaara nearly stumbled as Xin hastily shoved him through the doorway. Hinata and Naruto both whipped around from the television to look at them. "Where's the fire?" Hinata asked as Xin snatched the bag from Gaara and hurried to the kitchen. "And what's that new smell Xin has on her? Did you two run into someone?" Naruto watched as Xin fluttered around in the kitchen.

"Yeah," Gaara nodded, plopping down in the recliner. "We ran into an old friend of Xin's. Rock Lee," Gaara smirked, watching Naruto's reaction. "You did?" Naruto raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Yeah, so?" Xin sniffed out, coming out of the kitchen with hands on her hips.

"Haven't seen him in awhile."

Xin and Hinata shared a similar surprised look. "Seen him in awhile?" Hinata asked in question. "Yeah, Lee's a demon from Konoha. He left the realm years ago with his mentor though. Didn't know he was hiding out in Tokyo," Naruto explained casually, relaxing.

"Are you kidding me?" Xin gaped, waving her arms around. "When'd you meet Lee?" Gaara asked her, catching her arms. "When I was sixteen, I think?" Xin frowned while rubbing the back of her neck in thought. "Wow, I've been in contact with a demon for like four years and I never even knew it…."

"Makes you wonder about all the people you've met…"

* * *

The evening has lapsed into a calm one after Xin had finished baking her chocolate chip muffins. No one argued, screamed or bickered. They sat in a comfortable silence, chewing on delicious muffins. For once, everything and everyone was at peace.

Then, someone knocked on the door.

Xin groaned from the floor, falling backwards from the card game she had been teaching Naruto. "What is it this time?" She sighed heavily, looking at the door. "No need to worry, Xin," Naruto patted Xin's foot. "It's safe, Hinata. It's only Lee, you can let him in." Gaara waved his hand towards the door.

Hinata frowned but quickly jumped up, hurrying to let the supposed demon into her sister's apartment. She kindly greeted her sister's old friend and stepped back, allowing him into the apartment.

"Sorry to bother you, Xinny. Ah, I see you have another youthful visitor," Lee commented with a wide grin as Lee waltzed over to Xin's form. She sat up, rolling her eyes at him. "Cut the shit, Lee. I know you know Gaara and Naruto," She snorted, rolling her eyes at his act.

Lee paused, visibly shocked. "You know what I am, Xinny?" He asked, bending at the waist towards her. "You bet your demonic ass I do!" Xin huffed, poking him in his knee. "What's the matter with you, why didn't you tell me? We've been friends for like four years, Lee. You'd think the topic of what you really are would come up at some point." Xin began to rant, constantly poking him.

Lee laughed weakly. "She's seems more irritable these days," Lee patted Xin's head, causing her to stop poking him. "Yes, I think it's because my Father wants her dead," Gaara nodded, agreeing with Lee. "Oi! Don't talk like I'm not here! How rude," Xin huffed, folding her arms across her chest childishly.

Lee chuckled and patted her head again. "Yeah, I heard that rumor going around. What's up with that?" Lee crouched down and gathered Xin in a bear-hug. "Who could ever want this cute little midget dead?" He teased Xin, snuggling into her face.

"Get the fuck off me, you bushy-eyebrow weirdo," Xin grumbled distastefully, not pleased that Lee decided to simply ignore her insult. "You don't really mean that," Lee cooed, making a kissing face at her. "I swear to God, I will purify your youthful ass, Lee." Xin threatened from his grasp.

"Purify?" Lee paused in his teasing, staring at her in shock. "Yep! You aren't the only one whose been keeping secrets this whole time," Xin replied smugly. "Secrets?" Lee asked slowly. "Yep! Me and Hinata come from a long line of demon-purifying mikos!" Xin told him, holding up a small hand. "Really? Show me!" Lee cheered loudly. "Surely it must be a youthful outlet!"

"Ne, ne...another time. I'm too tired," Xin whined, waving off his request. "Yeah right, you just can't focus right now at the moment. Stupid," Naruto grinned impishly. "I'll purify you in your sleep," Xin grumbled, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Who told you about the rumor, Lee?" Gaara asked, glancing out of the window. "Gai-Sensei told me about it. I recently visited my beautiful Sakura-Chan and she confirmed it as well," Lee explained, ignoring Xin's struggles to get out of his grasp.

"You know Sakura-San?" Hinata asked meekly, glancing at Naruto. "Yes! We are youthfully in love!" Lee cheered, swinging Xin as if she was a rag doll. "Youthfully in love? You sure? I thought she had a thing for that guy who sat in the dark all day, what's his name again?"

"Sasuke-teme?" Naruto offered with a grin. "Sakura said she doesn't like it when you call him that, you know," Xin reminded him. "Bah," Naruto waved Xin's reminder off. It wasn't like Sakura was here to beat the living shit out of him. He was a free man, dammit, free!

"Anyway, the rumors are in fact true. My father wants her dead because he views her as an obstacle," Gaara spoke, bringing them all back to Lee's earlier question. "Obstacle to what?" Lee stopped swinging Xin with a frown. "Obliterating the human race," Xin answered blandly, swinging her legs out childishly.

"Eh?"

"Unlike you, Lee, I was sent here to kill the humans because my Father thought they were wasteful, ungrateful creatures. Which is true, however, this human in particular managed to convince me to put it off by striking a deal with me," Gaara explained, pointing a clawed finger to Xin.

"A deal?"

"Yes, she is to entertain me during my stay. If I grow bored, the humans die."

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask…what exactly am I doing that's entertaining you?" Xin asked with a clueless expression. "Seriously, all we do is argue most of the time. I don't see how that's entertaining," Xin pointed out. Lee still hadn't released her and she was beginning to notice Gaara's face started to tic.

"Continue with the way you are living and you should be fine, doll," Gaara shrugged a shoulder and eyed her and Lee. "Doing okay there?" She asked after watching him twitch for the tenth time in a minute. Gaara narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm fine," He bit out.

Naruto watched the exchange with precision. A moment later, he was grinning widely. "Xinny? Can you give me another muffin?" He asked her sweetly, giving her his best innocent look. Somehow, she fell for it because she tapped Lee to let her go so she could retrieve him another muffin.

"Xinny? You let them call you Xinny?" Lee asked in shock as Xin came back out with Naruto's muffin. She handed him the muffin with a small smile before turning back to Lee. "Eh, only Naruto calls me 'Xinny'. Gaara has a bunch of nicknames for me, his favorite being 'doll'," She explained to him, sitting next to her quiet sister.

"The two of you do resemble dolls. You're so small," Lee chuckled out, causing Xin to puff her cheeks out in annoyance. "We're not small," She huffed. "We're fun-sized," Hinata finished for her with a smile. "It's been so long, I've forgotten how cute the two of you are," Lee all but cooed, snatching Hinata up in a hug.

Naruto's grin instantly dropped and he chewed on his muffin a bit slower. This time, Xin noticed his odd behavior. She squinted at him in thought but chose to be quiet about his sudden shift in moods.

"This time I actually have looked at the time. It's getting late, Lee. I think we're all gonna hit the sheets soon. Or in Naruto's case, my couch," Xin snorted and stood up, wanting Lee to leave so she could force some answers out of Naruto. What the hell was up with his and Gaara's sudden attitude towards Lee?

Lee pouted but nodded. "Alright. You're right and Gai-Sensei is expecting me soon," He agreed with her nonetheless. He really didn't want to leave. There was something odd about these four. Not that he didn't trust them to be up to no good, he knew all of them too long to not trust any of them. Something was just off about them all.

The green beast stood up and nodded in goodbye to his demonic friends. The demons slowly nodded back, giving the bushy-eye browed fellow an odd look. It almost seemed as if they were warning him against something. But he brushed it off as the two small humans led him to the door.

"It was wonderful to see you again, Lee-kun. I hope you stop by soon," Hinata sweetly told him, rising on the tips of her toes to give him a friendly peck on the cheek. "It was great to see you as well, Hinata-Chan," Lee grinned at her, watching her go back to sit with the stiff blond demon.

"And you," He turned to look at Xin, who was propped up against the frame of her door. "Me?" She coyly pointed to herself, feigning a questioning expression. "Quit ditching the gym! Come around to box me, unless you're too scared now that you know I'm a demon," Lee joked, grinning down at her.

"Scared?" Xin snorted at the thought of fearing Lee. "Please, you should be scared of me! I mean, c'mon, a boxing miko? I'll beat the shit out of you while purifying your sinful ass. Come at me bro," Xin joked back, reaching up for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Anytime you're ready!" Lee exclaimed as he ventured down the hall, vanishing from her sight.

"Now that that's over," Xin hummed as she closed the door. She spun around to face her three housemates with a confused look. "What the hell is wrong with you two?" She asked, glancing between Naruto and Gaara. She could just smell the annoyance emitting from them.

"What are you talking about?"

"We're fine."

Xin scoffed, planting her hands on the back of the couch. "Yeah and this isn't my natural hair color. Come on, I'm serious," She rolled her eyes in annoyance. Naruto sighed heavily. "It's just that…you guys seem so annoyed with Lee. And I know he's…um…." Xin tried to think of the best word to describe Lee.

"Youthful."

"Youthful!" She snapped her fingers and smiled at her helping sister. "I know his youthful attitude is a bit overwhelming but I was seriously sensing some murderous vibes from you guys. I mean, c'mon, what's up with that?"

Naruto sighed heavily through his nostrils. "You're not a demon, you wouldn't understand," He answered her; knowing Gaara was just going to ignore her until she annoyed the living shit out of him. Hearing Naruto's answer, Xin wouldn't back down without a fight.

"Explain."

Naruto sighed again. "Look, seriously…it's a demon thing; you girls will have a hard time understanding it. And with the way you are, you're probably going to hate it," Naruto rebuked her demand, giving her a tired look.

"Nothing is worse than hearing a freak-demon king sent a death warrant out for you."

"I said I was sorry."

"What…no you didn't!"

"Oh…."

Xin glared at Gaara but turned back to Naruto. She reached over Hinata and poked him chest. "C'mon now. Out with it." She told him, poking at him until he cracked. This carried on for a mere of two minutes before Naruto lost his will to be quiet.

"It's a territorial thing!"

Xin and Hinata shared a confused glance. "I'm sorry, a what?" Xin titled her head to side while Hinata simply frowned. "The Kyuubi just didn't like how close Lee was to Hinata," Naruto mumbled in a defeated tone.

"…The what?"

"His inner-demon. We both have inner-demons," Gaara cut in to shortly explain. "His name is Kurama but demons are more familiar with the term the Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox. Mine is called the Shukaku. They are manifestations of who we really are. Our true appearance and personalities," Gaara elaborated so they could better understand. "A demon's true nature is very possessive. They get angry and jealous when a different person comes into contact with another's possession. The Kyuubi and Shukaku just didn't like how close Lee was to you and Hinata. Nothing to be concerned about."

Xin and Hinata both quietly took in the new information. "We don't belong to you. If Lee wants to come closer to us, he has the right to. We've been friends for years," Xin argued with them quite calmly, noticing Gaara only rolled his eyes. The gutsier twin turned towards Naruto and nearly shrieked in surprise. The usual relaxed and goofy blond's body had gone rigid and shivered almost violently. His face was twisted into a harsh scowl, showing off his sharpened teeth. Narrowed blue eyes were flashing to slits of scarlet red. And those whisker-like tattoos were becoming more ragged and darker.

A swell of panic burst into her chest and she shoved her sister to the floor. Hinata let out a shriek of surprise as Xin dropped down on top of her. She had known to throw herself down; Naruto has swiped his long claws at her when she pushed her sister down. She turned her body around to face Naruto and held up her hand to him.

She narrowed her eyes fiercely as light purple bubble formed around her and her sister. On the inside, she was terrified. Obviously something she had said had set Naruto's inner-demon off and had manifested. She was shitting bricks at the moment but had to put on a strong front for her sister.

The Kyuubi _(because she knew Naruto would never lash out at her or her sister)_ snarled at her but didn't risk trying to get at her. If his claws came into contact with her shield _(she was quite proud that she was able to call on the barrier so quickly!)_ his skin would burn off. Soon her barriers would be strong enough to launch him backwards like Kiyone's had.

Squaring her shoulders, she snarled back at him. "Back the fuck off," She hissed at the angered demon. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at Gaara. The bastard! He hadn't moved an inch even though the Kyuubi had damn there lobbed off her fuckin' head. Either he was extremely confident she would be able to protect her and Hinata or he wanted to see them fuckin' die, the fuckin' prick.

"Disgusting little whore, give her to me," He snarled, his face coming closer to her barrier. "Fuck you," She snapped at him, barring her dull teeth at him. The Kyuubi let out another snarl. "Bitch," He continued with insulting her.

Xin supposed Gaara took some sort of offense to the name calling because he was suddenly standing next to her barrier. He was standing close enough to her but far enough so that her little bubble didn't rip away at his skin.

"I think that's enough Kurama. If you don't want to get into a fight, I suggest you stop. Calling the woman those words aren't pleasing to the Shukaku's ears." He stated coolly, but Xin saw how tense his body was. She knew that most likely beneath his calm exterior, the Shukaku was surging with rage and probably wanted to tear the Kyuubi apart for snarling at her.

She felt Hinata shift from behind her and then finally sliding her body from under Xin's. The kind woman crawled to Xin's side, her eyes trained on the Kyuubi. "Uh…" She began, causing Xin to look at her. "Xin didn't mean to upset you, Kyuubi," She began to say, ignoring Xin's expression. Really? She was going to really try to talk to that raging demon? Xin snorted to herself but remained quiet when Hinata elbowed her in the side.

"Stupid human," the Kyuubi mumbled at the mention of Xin. The human in question visibly bristled but a look from Gaara made her swallow her insult down and shut the fuck up. "Well!"

The Kyuubi snorted at her but seemed to calm down the minute he caught Hinata's serene eyes. "Could….could you bring Naruto back so I can speak with him?" She asked softly, keeping her eyes on him. The Kyuubi scowled and jerked his chin towards her sister. "Make her take the barrier down," He growled out, glaring at her twin. He was quite surprised when Xin shot a glare back at him, not backing down. She had some guts.

Xin watched as his eyes began to shutter from red to blue. Slowly, she dropped her hand down until the barrier was gone and his eyes had gone back to beautiful blue. "Douche. I am not a whore," She sourly huffed out. Naruto held his face in his hand as Gaara grabbed Xin and pulled her back to his seat.

"I told you that you wouldn't like it," Naruto mumbled in depression, feeling extremely guilty that he lashed out at the twins. He could've seriously hurt either of them. He wasn't sure how Xin had known to react that fast, but he was grateful. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he had allowed the Kyuubi to hurt them.

Deep down, the Kyuubi wouldn't hurt Hinata though. He had specifically swiped out at Xin. Her instincts to protect her sister had kicked in and she reacted without realizing that she was in more danger than Hinata. He didn't want to kill or hurt Hinata. The Kyuubi wanted to harm Xin, put her back in her place.

Thankfully Xin wasn't just some random human girl. Fear rolled off of her body but she had squared her shoulders and stared him down. Although the Kyuubi obviously wasn't too fond of the boxer, he was impressed that she had pushed her fear aside in order to protect her sister.

"He's charming, really," Xin rolled her eyes. "There's no need for that," Hinata chided, grabbing Naruto's arm and pulling at him. Her attempt at helping him up was adorable, he vaguely thought. "Really? Cuz' there was no need in trying to sever my head, but he tried anyway," Xin huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Well you challenged him."

Xin turned around to scowl at Gaara. "Challenged him?" She scoffed, hands on her hips. "Yes, challenged him," He shot back down at her in a mocking tone. Xin gave him a dirty look and motioned for him to explain. By disagreeing with Naruto's explanation, you were challenging Kurama's possession over Hinata," Gaara continued to explain to the annoyed miko. "Challenging his possession over my sister?" Xin asked slowly with a 'are you bullshitting me?' look.

"But she's not…"

Gaara suddenly slipped his hands over her breasts. Xin's face turned from snow white to ruby red in mere seconds. She let out a shocked shriek and tried to dart away from him but he simply locked his arm around her waist. "I'm warning you, woman. Do not challenge his claim," Gaara sighed heavily with a serious expression. "I wasn't even challenging him on anything," Xin insisted with a hiss, trying to break free of his iron grip. "Yes, you were. By saying she is not his, that's challenging his claim on her," Gaara snapped, ignoring her struggles.

"Yes because I _sooo_ want to possess my own sister," She mumbled sarcastically. "Take this more seriously, Xin." Hinata shot at Xin. "Does this mean that Gaara's inner-demon feels the same way towards Xin? He's possessive of her?" She asked while looking at Gaara. "Of course," Gaara snorted, looking down at her. "I can't imagine why, but he's very taken with her," He rolled his eyes as Xin gave him a nasty glare. "Oh please, you know you love _this_!" Xin sniffed out and motioned to her form.

Gaara eyed her with a stony frown. "Don't tempt me," He reminded her with a certain glint in his eyes. Xin seemed to understand what he was hinting at because she suddenly smiled weakly and stopped pointing out her body. "Right…right. Sorry."

"Stupid little doll," He snorted, swinging his arm around her shoulder. Xin sighed heavily and placed her hand on her hip. "So this is our lives now," She began to say with a tired smile. "Finding out we're actually mikos, death warrants, old rivalries, crazy ex-girlfriends, bushy-browed demons, bipolar redheaded Mothers, obvious sexual tensions, secrets, _loads_ of secrets, sinning _(c'mon let's face it, we're a bunch of sinners)_ and possession. I think I could make a book out of my life right about now."

"Interesting idea for a book. Don't even think about it though," Gaara snorted, locking her to his side and leaning down to kiss her. Hinata blushed heavily and Naruto was actually surprised that Xin pushed back at Gaara, deepening their kiss.

He couldn't understand the two. One minute they were arguing, and man could they go at it. Even when he and Hinata were not present during the bickering, they could still feel the angry emotions boiling from the two when they weren't talking to one another.

And then there were times like this.

Where they would playfully banter with one another. When she would give him a certain smile, her face lighting up whenever he said something _(that was fuckin' ignorant)_ to her. When he would simply stare at her when she wasn't looking.

They were quite the confusing pair.

The two separated with Xin looking quite happy that she had received the kiss. She leaned up to quickly place a small kiss on Gaara's lips before slipping out of his hold and crossing the living to her room.

He felt Hinata pat his arm affectionately. Inside, the Kyuubi seemed to purr at her touch. Naruto found that strange but didn't question it. Seems like Kurama had a little crush on the shy miko. Which he found strange because she was everything Kurama was not.

Kurama was a blood-thirsty savage demon. Hinata was a peaceful sky miko. They were literally pulling into two different directions when it came to being opposites. But that didn't seem to bother Kurama too much. And oddly enough, Naruto was quite glad his inner-demon was satisfied with Hinata.

He really liked her.

Maybe even more than that? He wasn't sure yet.

As she began to stand up, Naruto caught her by the arm. He gave her an odd look and she ducked her head down in embarrassment. Gaara quietly turned his head to the side; obviously Hinata was not one to be openly affection like her ditzy sister.

Hinata rolled her lips together and reached out to Naruto, cupping his tanned face in her small delicate hands. He watched with deep blue eyes as she inched closer to him, unsure of herself. There was no way he was going to pressure her or anything. He handled her as if she was a small frazzled animal.

Her lips were soft, just like he imagined they would be. He faintly remembered thinking they tasted like sweet, like cherries. Naruto smiled into the soft kiss, enjoying every minute of it as he returned it, trying to commit her cherry taste to memory.

He never thought this would happen to him. Falling for a human. Cuz' let's face it, he wasn't as stubborn as Xin and Gaara. He could clearly tell they were falling in love but Xin was often blinded by anger and Gaara by sexual attraction that neither of them noticed.

But he knew he was falling for the pacifist in front of him. Everything about her. If it was given a chance, he could see the two of them in the future with one another. It's not like his Mother was disapprove, she liked Hinata enough. And Minato would too, cuz' Kushina would him to shut the fuck up and like her.

He grinned, he could get used to this.

"Oh my god, you guys! We're like the…._TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES_!"

...He would have to get used to Xin's random outbursts though…

* * *

_TeeBeMe: And look at that, I ended it on a happy note. See? I'm just lovely, right? How'd you guys like the chapter? I tried to explain Xin's obsession with health and boxing and how she dealt with her rape. Like it? Yes, no? And lately I've been sooo obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, don't ask me why. It's like I'm trying to relive my boyish childhood by watching the cartoons I loved. Which turtle do you think Xinny is most like if you know the show? _

**Xin: REVIEW! Let us know what you think of the chapter, okay? Long and short reviews are welcomed!**

_TeeBeMe:_  
_  
OokamiLover19: I'm glad you thought her rape had been properly fitted for the story. I was quite nervous about it, to be honest. _

_Kiteria: Yes, I realized Gaara didn't really know too much about her dabbles in drugs, so I tried to shed some light on it. What do you think? I could never kill Xinny off, or maybe I could. Who knows. I love your drawn-out reviews. It helps me understand what you liked about that chapter, my dear! But fear not about the whole sex thing, I promise things will start falling into place soon!_

_123lamiko: Don't worry, I have no intentions of letting this story die! I like your username by the way, the way it sounds pleases me. _

_Authorchik039: I thank you for not doubting me, love!_

_Panda-Chan8: I'm glad you reviewed! And about your dog licking the couch, my dog Ebony does the same thing! Not sure why though. I know the rape was cliché but I thought it would help everyone understand her better. While it does bother her to talk about it, Xin didn't focus her entire life around it. Unfortunately the drugs was not her best choice, but she's learned her lesson. Xinny thanks you for thinking she's a kick-ass bitch. _

_CuteyJayAnimeLover1: I could never split them up for real! They may bicker a lot but it'll take a lot for them to call it quits!_


	9. Mama, please don't cry, I'll be alright

_TeeBeMe: OMG, the first update of September. The last update during my summer break. I'm so sad. I'll miss you, summer. _

**Xin: Riiight. She doesn't own any of the real Naruto characters. Just the OCs and this plot.**

* * *

Xin was literally bouncing in excitement as she pushed the doors to the gym open. It had been weeks since Gaara had let her set foot back in there. She had nearly lost her mind and all her obsessive cleaning had been getting to everyone. Finally, Gaara had shoved her hoodie at her and told her he was taking her to the gym.

Although she didn't really understand why Hinata and Naruto decided to tag along. But she didn't dwell on it too much; she was just excited to be back in the gym. This is where she belonged! Where she spent most of her teenage years.

The small woman was bombarded with cheerful greetings from the other boxers as she weaved through the crowd, leading a path for her three companions behind her. She came to the arena and grinned at the two occupants.

"Yo!" She called to them, beating at the arena's floor. Lee and Jerry instantly turned to look down at her, grinning in return. "Look who finally decided to show up," Jerry chuckled, arms crossed over his chest. "Boyfriend sure does have you on a short leash," He continued to poke fun at her. Xin shot a look at Gaara, who remained stoic. She flipped off Jerry and waved the older man off. "I'm gonna go change," She threw over her shoulder, walking off to the bathroom.

Lee continued to grin and leaned over the ropes of the ring. "Hello my youthful friends!" He waved at them. "Good afternoon, Lee-kun," Hinata greeted sweetly. "Hello, Jerry-san," She turned to face her sister's trainer. "Hello Hinata, always so formal and polite," Jerry's mustache twitched as he smiled down at her.

"Ready to get your ass kicked, Lee?" Xin suddenly popped up from in between Naruto and Gaara. She was dressed in a baggy pair of sweat pants, sneakers and a hot pink sports bra. She wasn't wearing her usual boxing gloves. In place of them were fingerless black gloves.

"You really have to wear a sports bar? Where's your shirt?" Naruto looked down at her with a frown. "I'll get all sweaty if I wear it and I don't have a back up shirt on me," Xin explained, folding her arms across her chest and cocking her hip to the side.

Gaara threaded his fingers through her hair, curling his fingers in it. With a gentle flick of his wrist, he tugged her head back. She gasped out in shock, eyes wide. Not really caring who was watching, he dipped over her and kissed her fiercely. The demon let her go and nudged her forward. Xin blushed heavily while he simply smirked as she scrambled into the ring with Lee. Jerry chuckled to himself and slipped out of the ring. The guys sure would come down on her later on after seeing that happen.

Xin shook the blush away and stepped towards Lee. She grinned and held her fist out to him. Lee mirrored her grin and bumped his fist against her much smaller fist. "Ready."

Almost instantly, they pushed away from each other, falling back into different crouches. They circled one another, gazes locked in determined stares. Xin made the first move, darting forward and feigning a punch to Lee's face.

He dodged it but Xin swung her leg to slam into his side. Under normal circumstances, she would have been able to land her kick. However, Lee gave her a secretive smirk and suddenly flashed away from her sight.

She gasped and stumbled forward, putting her leg down awkwardly. She gaped at him in shock. That goddamn demon used his enhanced speed to dodge her surprise kick. Lee winked at her, mocking her. Xin snorted and readied her hands again, smirking. If that's how he wanted to play, they could play all goddamn day!

He rushed forward, throwing a barrage of punches at her. She pushed herself backwards into the ropes and held her hands up in front of her face defensively. If a person had been watching closely _(like Hinata, Naruto, and Gaara)_ they would have noticed something almost transparent glinting in front of Xin's face.

Lee's hands collided into her shield, causing him to let out a cry of surprise. He jumped backwards, nursing his stinging hands. Xin's smirk remained intact as she pushed herself off of the ropes. "They're just playing around," Hinata said to the two demons flanking her sides quietly. "Yes, it would seem as if they're just teasing each other now that they know of their true abilities," Gaara noted while nodding his head.

The sparring match had gone on for several seconds. It was quite surprising to see Xin keeping up with Lee. Although she began to sweat before him, it didn't slow her down at all.

"Ugh!" Xin grunted, falling to the mat after Lee tripped her up. But she wouldn't let him have that, she swept her legs out and ended up tripping him. She was not expecting Lee to actually fall forward on top of her though, that was completely unexpected.

She let out a squeal of surprise when he slammed on top of her, knocking the wind out of her. Xin didn't want to call him fat, but goddamn it all, his sudden added weight on her small floor left her breathless.

The boxer looked down and let out a horrified gasp. Lee had landed face-first into chest, into her fuckin' cleavage. On her breasts. Her _breasts. _Clearly it had been an accident but that didn't stop her from letting out a shriek. Gaara's eyes instantly narrowed in danger as Lee made no move to remove his fuckin' face from the little woman's chest. Next to him, Hinata's hands were clasped over her mouth in surprise while Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

He calmly moved towards the ring, planning on violently ripping Lee away from the woman. If anyone was going to touch her, it would be Gaara and Gaara alone. He was not one to share, he never was. He definitely was not going to share Xin, of all people and things.

But Naruto interfered with his plans. He reached out and grabbed Gaara by his arm, jerking him backwards. Gaara whipped around to snarl at Naruto in rage. The whites of his eyes burned away into black while his sky blue eyes began to flicker to demonic gold.

Xin shoved Lee off of him and reacted without thinking. For a moment, she forgot that Lee was her long-time friend and would never have meant to violate her space. He was just too much a nice, sweetheart.

But that didn't stop her from punching the living shit out of him.

"Lee! What the hell is wrong with you?!" She shouted and jumped up. "Have you lost your mind?!" She continued to shout at him, fists planted firmly on her hips. Lee held his bruised face, not expecting her sudden punch she had thrown at him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Lee repeated with a whine.

"You can't just randomly plant your fuckin' face in people's chests! Those were my breasts, you twat!" Xin continued to shout, her face turning red as she began slapping the living hell out of the poor green beast. "I'm sorry!" Lee cried between each of her fierce slaps.

"Uh! Xin?" Hinata had crawled into the ring with her sister and Lee, pulling on the strap of the hot pink bra. "Yeah?" Xin barked over her shoulder, glaring at Lee. She leaned closer to her sister, cupping her hand to her ear. "I don't think Gaara is doing a good job controlling his inner-demon. Naruto had to drag him to the bathroom," She whispered in a hurried tone, her eyes wide with fear. Xin bit her bottom lip and glanced at the bathroom door.

"Alright, I'm on it," Xin nodded. "Take care of this idiot," She ordered while sliding out of the arena. She hurried to the bathroom and the closer she got to the bathroom, she more she could hear violent snarls.

The little miko threw the door open and was met with the picture of Naruto trying to hold Gaara pinned to the farthest wall. Xin bit her bottom lip again and eased towards the two demons who were snarling at each other in their freaky language.

"Uh, Naruto?" She tried to call over the violent snarling. Naruto whipped around and for a second she saw blood red eyes staring at her. But he must have realized who she was because they dimmed back to ocean-blue.

"Xin, you really shouldn't be in here right now," Naruto grunted, struggling to keep Gaara pinned to the wall. Xin took a deep breath and steadied her shuddering nerves. She stepped forward, her shoulders squared the whole time before stopping next to Naruto.

"No, it's alright," She said slowly. Xin reached past Naruto's arms and grasped at Gaara's arms. "Give me a second, eh? Make sure no one gets in here, would ya?" Xin requested for the blond demon, her eyes trained on golden yellow eyes.

Naruto shifted, his muscles tightening. "Are you sure about that? He's struggling with controlling the Shukaku," Naruto explained, clearly worried for her wellbeing. "Of course," Xin grinned widely. "The Shukaku likes me, right?" Xin chuckled out, digging her nails into Gaara's arms.

"Fine…but if it gets out of hand, you call me," Naruto growled down at her before vanishing out of the door to stand guard. Xin waited until the door banged closed behind Naruto to stare at Gaara.

Xin took a deep breath, somewhat nervous. "Shukaku, right?" She asked slowly, sliding one hand down to his fingers. His body stopped struggling but it was still tensed up and he still took deep ragged breaths.

"Just calm down, no need for a fit," She hummed soothingly, slipping her thin fingers through his thicker fingers. Her other hand idly created meaningless patterns across the span of his arm.

Xin blinked long and hard, his anger was rolling off his body and she could clearly feel his rage. Although Lee landing on her breasts was clearly an accident, it was probably saw as a challenge to the Shukaku and Gaara since her breasts were an intimate part of her body.

"No one challenged you," She began to say slowly. She was going to hate herself for this. Maybe Gaara wouldn't remember anything she was saying to him. "I'm still yours. I still belong to you. All yours," She soothed him softly. Xin brought his large hand to her lips and quietly dropped small kisses over his hand.

He snatched his hand away from her, surprising her. Grabbing at her shoulders, the Shukaku spun her around and pinned her to the wall he had been pinned up against. It looked as if she wanted to panic. But who could really blame her?

He pushed up against her, molding his body to her body. Xin wasn't going to back down though, so with hardened nerves she wrapped her pale arms around him. She planted her hands to his back and began slowly rotating her little hands in a relaxing way.

He leaned down, brushing his lips against hers. Her hands instantly stopped massaging his back to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer to her and her lips. The kiss they began to share was not innocent and slow. It was passionate kiss that would surely leave her lips bruised when he was finished.

Her eyebrows drew together and she whimpered when he bit down on her lip, forcing her to open her mouth. She yanked at his hair the same time he tongue burrowed into her much smaller mouth.

The Shukaku _(She was just going to assume since his eyes were closed) _hummed in approval as she yanked on his hair. He leaned in further, deepening the kiss and exploring her mouth as continued with yanking on his hair.

Xin pulled away suddenly, causing him to growl angrily down at her. She panted heavily, trying to get her breathing back under control. Once she was breathing regularly, she glanced up through thick lashes to peek at sky-blue eyes. Xin sighed heavily, slumping against the wall in relief. She pushed him away but he wouldn't budge, his grip on her hips tightening almost painfully. His hand slid down from her hips, cupping her thighs and jerking her up.

"Gaara!" Xin hissed in surprise as he maneuvered her legs around his waist. She immediately hooked her ankles together while he planted his hands firmly on her ass. The grip she had on his neck tightened as she bit her bottom lip. "You're mine, remember that…" Gaara growled, his eyes flashing again before he dove back towards her for another round of kissing. "Gaara," She moaned during the kiss, losing herself in the lust.

The sound of his name rolling so sensually and pleading off her tongue set his insides on fire. All of the sexual tension was starting to take a toll on him. It was killing him. He was going to have to find some outlet or else he'd just lose it and end up raping her.

And no matter how twisted he was, he would hate himself if that happened. Yes, Xin pissed him off. She was annoying, she screamed and always had something smart to say. But she trusted him, trusted him not to hurt her. If he allowed himself to rape her, he would never get that trust back. He'd never get her back.

But that still didn't mean he didn't need a sexual release. He needed something. A certain touch that would maybe sedate his need for the time being. It had been the longest time he had gone without sex and it was killing him.

So, it caught him off guard when she grinded into his hips. It was slow and it was meant to happen, it wasn't a mistake. Gaara froze and stiffened. Xin instantly noticed because she pulled back from him to peer into his face.

"Did….did I do something wrong? I've only had two boyfriends my whole life and I've only willingly had sex like twice….was I not supposed to do that?" Xin explained in a rush, blushing heavily.

Gaara sighed through his nose, eyes closing again. "You're fine," He growled through tight lips. Xin sighed as well and reached up, grabbing his chin. "Well, now that you're humane enough to speak like a normal person, that wasn't cool!" She suddenly huffed up at him, her cheeks rosy red.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on, you know damn well Lee was not making any attempt to claim me. There was no good reason to freak out like that. Don't you have proper control over the Shukaku?" She scolded him, eyes boring deep into his. Gaara looked down at her and rolled his eyes.

"You can't be serious. The Shukaku is me. I can't just chain his emotions up and put that in the back of my mind. He feels what I feel. And I don't like the fact that you're this damn close to Lee. What kind of shit was that? Clearly that was not an accident," He reminded her with a scowl. Xin growled and began swiping at his hands.

"Oh please, I'm sure if Lee had any feelings for me, he would've made a move years ago. So let it go. You've got your fill of me already. Put me down so I can go back out there and reassure the boys that you aren't about to go on a murderous spree," Xin shook her head with her demand.

Gaara sighed and pushed his head back against the wall. "Very well, doll." He nodded and slowly slid his hands away until she was standing on her own. "Thank you. Come out in five minutes, alright?" She pinched his shoulder playfully and whirled around.

"Right. Ah….and about your lack of knowledge of sex? We'll have to fix that…."

Xin blushed heavily, waved hurriedly over her shoulder and dashed out of the bathroom.

* * *

Temari sighed heavily as she paced her darkened room. She nibbled on thumb in thought and hurried over to her lone large window. The tall woman swept the sandy red curtain aside and peered out to the city of Suna.

"This won't end well," She mumbled, twisting around suddenly and hurried across her room. In the corner of the room sat a large circular basin. It was filled to the brim with sparkling water that was completely still. Temari leaned over this basin and touched the surface of the water with the tip of her nail. "Show me my youngest brother," She whispered softly, watching as the bright water began to ripple and then suddenly stilled, showing a crystal clear picture of her brother.

She vaguely felt the smile tugging at the corner of her lips while staring down at the picture. Her little brother seemed to be walking somewhere, down a street. Walking next to him was that little girl, Xin. His arm was slung lazily around her shoulders while she talking animatedly about something. Walking next to them was Naruto and Hinata, who seemed quite content.

"Now, what am I suppose to do? He looks so happy," Temari slumped her shoulders, waving the picture in the water away. "He shouldn't have been sent there in the first place," She mumbled to herself, hands crossing across her chest.

A sudden knock at her door had her sighing heavily. "What is it?" She snapped, retching it open with a scowl. She almost felt bad when the small servant-demon jumped back in surprise at her edgy tone. He shuffled his feet nervously and looked down with a frightened face.

"Y-Your Father requests you in his throne room," He stumbled over his words and continued to look down. Temari's scowl hardened. "Very well, I'm coming," She said hotly, waving him away.

Minutes later she was storming down the halls, her long skirt billowing against her tanned legs. Once she got to the large golden doors, she paused before going in. Whatever her Father wanted, it couldn't be good.

Slowly she pushed the door open and stepped into the spacious throne room. The floor was covered in her Father's golden sand, which annoyed her sometimes. She crossed the _(way too large)_ room quickly and knelt in front of her Father.

Shigure glanced up from his goblet on blood-red wine to stare down at the head of his eldest child and only daughter. She looked so much like her Mother; it sometimes pained him to even look her in the eyes.

"Father?" She prompted coolly, her face revealing nothing. However, she was nothing like Karura. Temari was calm, cool and always collected. Karura had been quiet but always had a smile on her face. The only personality quirk his daughter inherited from his late wife was that she longed for peace and that was it.

"You've been watching over your younger brother, I assume?" Shigure stared down at her with dark eyes. Temari looked away from him, suddenly hating herself for watching over Gaara like Shigure had asked to.

"Yes."

"And the status of his little toy?"

"Her name is Xin, father. She'd curse you out if you said that to her. You are our King, yes. But you aren't her King…."

Shigure snorted and rolled his eyes, leaning back into the throne. "I don't care too much what I am to her. Her status, alive or dead?" Shigure glared at Temari, watching as her shoulder slumped again. "She's alive." She replied through her teeth. Her stomach churned uncomfortably. She had sworn to her Mother on her deathbed that she would look after Kankuro and Gaara. And for awhile, she had kept her promise.

Up until now, of course.

Shigure was going to have Xin killed, that was sure. And Gaara _(who Temari knew damn well was falling in love with Xin) _was going to snap and turn back into that monster he had been years ago. Sure, demons were known as brutes but her brother had been a blood-thirsty monster who killed someone if they looked at him the wrong way.

No, she was not joking.

"I see," Shigure hummed out, looking thoughtfully at his wine. "The boy has gotten weak," He said after a moment's pause. "Father…?" She trailed off, her eyes locked on him. Shigure sighed heavily and rested his cheek against his hand.

"Let's see how far he's willing to go for this little woman…."

* * *

Xin ran her hand through her ponytail as she stepped through her parent's home. Hinata had decided to stay at their grandparent's house and train while Xin opted out to visit their parents two minutes away.

Kiyone had informed the boxer that Hinako had been acting odd for quite some time. Xin already knew it had something to do with her. Hinako probably had some sort of feeling that Xin was messing around with the supernatural. She did have Miko in her blood, she could sense these things.

"Mama? You here?" She called through the house, climbing the large stairs. She smiled softly, remembering how she used to stumble up these same stairs when she was a teenager. Xin went to the master bedroom, knowing Hinako would be in there. "Hi Mama," She grinned widely, thumping on the bed next to her Mother. Hinako seemed quite surprised with her daughter's sudden appearance.

"Xin, I wasn't expecting you…"

"I was in the neighborhood and decided to come visit you."

Hinako looked at her with older eyes. "Your aura is different," Hinako said slowly, looking down at her pale hands. "My aura?" Xin frowned and reached forward with identical pale hands to grab her Mother's. "Enough with the games, little one. I know about your recent….relationship with someone of a different nature than us," Hinako sighed heavily. Xin's frown deepened in thought.

"Did that old bat…."

"Do not refer to Mother like that. Have some respect. And no, she didn't say anything to me. I know by the feel of your aura…" Hinako chuckled out. "Aura? What in the world are you talking about? Why do you keep going back to that word?" Xin rambled on nervously. "If you focused more on your Miko training…you would be able to feel everyone's aura," Hinako smiled softly, patting Xin's hand. Xin gaped at Hinako in surprise. "You…know that we know?"

Hinako snorted and shrugged her shoulders. "Please, who do you think I am? Your Father? I know everything, my dear. How do I know everything? I'm your Mother." Hinako let out a laugh and shook her head.

"…Everything?"

Hinako rolled her lips together and than began to think about something with a distant look in her eyes. "Everything….Xin, I really think what you have with that demon needs to stop before it escalates into something you can't control. You should stay away…" Hinako said with a serious tone, her eyes hardening.

"No worries, Mama. I'll be alright. I can't deny this feeling, you know? Think I might be getting feelings for him."

Hinako sighed heavily. The redheaded demon that her daughter seemed so hung up on would be nothing but trouble. Xin wasn't thinking clearly with her heart. Their love just couldn't be rational. For one, he was a demon and she was a miko.

This would end in disaster.

* * *

_Naruto's P.O.V_

"You know, my ears having been ringing for the past couple of days. Someone is talking shit about me," Xin huffed a day after the girl's miko training. She and I were in her kitchen. I was sitting in the corner _(she forced me there)_ while she stood at her counter covered in flour.

"Ringing?" I asked in confusion, glancing out in the living room to see Gaara and Hinata chuckling at something on the television. Xin glanced at me and sighed heavily, dropping her shoulders. She had smears of flour across her cheeks, forehead and on her nose. I laughed to myself. She looked so cute.

"I forget that demons aren't familiar with human slang…" She mumbled to herself but I still heard it. "You know the saying if you sneeze suddenly someone's talking….ill about you, right?" She raised her dark eyebrows in question. I remembered when my Mom would sneeze out of nowhere and said that.

"Yeah, I know it," I nodded with a grin. "It's basically the same thing," She explained shortly with a shrug. My grin widened. "Oh! Okay, I get it now," I shook my head and she laughed at me and suddenly bent her head down, a serious look on her face.

"Xin? You okay?"

She poked her finger at the large lump of dough and breathed heavily through her mouth. "I don't know…I think I actually might be scared," She laughed but it came out shaky. "I haven't been this scared since I was fourteen. But I'm really scared," She turned to my suddenly with nervous eyes.

I watched quietly as she bunched up the end of her apron in her powdery hands and pulled, tugged and rolled it nervously. "I don't want to die, you know? People claim that death is nothing to be scared of…but are you fuckin' kidding me? Who the fuck welcomes death so easily? And I already know those sadistic fuckers are going to beat the living shit out of me. And rape me. Probably. Make my last minutes on Earth…or the demon world, cuz' who the fuck knows where they'll bring me to, the most painful minutes ever," She began to rant nervously, nearly shredding her apron to pieces.

I found it amazing how she crams so many curse words in her sentences. And they flowed so easily, like it was second nature for her to curse like that. She has a filthy mouth for someone who looks so petite and innocent. If she spent more time with my Mother, they would probably become best friends.

Xin threaded her fingers through her dark hair and I watched as midnight blue became streaked with the white flour and bits of dough. "And Gaara keeps telling me not to worry about it and all…but I can't help it. I mean, his Father is King…he has the final say and everything and I'm pretty damn sure that if his final say is my death, then dammit, I'm gonna die!"

I opened my mouth to reassure her that she really didn't need to worry and everything would be fine, but she beat me to it to continue with her ranting. "And what kind of fuckin' prick orders a random innocent woman to death? How the fuck would he feel if I sat my ass on a big ass throne and decided that it's off with his head?! He wouldn't like that shit, I bet! Who the hell would!? You know what, I'm gonna purify his fuckin' evil retarded ass if he comes near me. Someone needs to fuckin' teach him that it's not okay to go around ordering people's deaths! I mean, come on, seriously? And while I'm at it, I'm gonna tell him something about his self! Does he realize how much he's damaged Gaara by ordering him around all his life? The boy can't even properly function around normal people. Who the fuck turns their kid into a mindless tool?!"

I found it amazing how she could go from being scared to being pissed off in less than three seconds. For someone who goes around screaming at people that they're crazy, she's pretty damn crazy herself. But I won't tell her that. I'm sure she'll throw flour or something in my eyes or some crazy shit.

"Uh, Xinny?" I laughed nervously, waving my hand in her face. Her eyes focused back on me and she scowled. "Huh?" She sniffed out, turning back to her….what the fuck was she making again? I forget. "If you're really scared, I promise nothing will happen to you. Gaara wouldn't let anything happen to you and neither will I. It would break Hinata's heart if something happened to you," I reminded her, glancing at her sister with a smile.

Xin snorted and caught me smiling at her sister. "Oh please. I clearly see your motives," She huffed and rolled her eyes. "What are you trying to suggest?" I looked back at her innocently. She rolled her eyes again and snorted. "You just wanna see Hina happy. I'm not stupid, fox-boy." She placed a hand on her hip and smirked.

"That's a lie!"

"Lie, my ass."

"It's nice but there's no need to brag."

"Oh my god, are you staring at my ass? I'm telling!"

I jumped up and caught her as she tried to run into the living room. "I will kill you," I whined jokingly. I ignored the Kyuubi purr in satisfaction at Xin's death. He and Xin were going to have to find some common ground. How the hell does my inner-demon hate her so much but I'm fine with her? I think Kurama is more pissed that she held him at bay with her barrier more than anything else. She was just a small human girl after all.

Xin paused in her struggles and suddenly grinned widely. "What are you planning?" I asked slowly, watching her eyes gleams deviously. She suddenly pulled herself free from my grasp and clapped her hands together. She glanced towards her sister, grinning widely.

"You and Hinata should go on a date."

"A what?"

She gave me a dirty look and sighed heavily. "You demons don't know shit!" Xin growled at me in annoyance, pointing a finger at me. "Oh, I'm sorry…excuse me for being born in a different world with a different culture." I added sarcastically. She gave me a sour look and pinched me. "Shut up and listen. Dating is basically like….courting. Yeah. Courting! You get it?" Xin snapped her fingers in thought with a smile. "Are you giving me permission to date her?" I raised my blond eyebrows at her in question.

She folded her arms across her chest and huffed. "Well, I think Hinata likes you. Despite the fact that you're a blockheaded demon…." She trailed off thoughtfully with a playful smile. "Me?! You're calling me a blockhead? Ha! That's funny, you retarded human," I sniffed back at her.

She opened her mouth to shoot something back at me but we were interrupted by Gaara. "Would you two just shut the fuck up already? Naruto, if you're gonna ask her on this 'date', I suggest you do it now before I kick the living shit out of you," Gaara called from the living room. We heard Hinata squeal in surprise.

Xin grinned widely and ran into the living room. "Someone's going on a date," She sang to her sister, causing the poor woman to blush heavily. I followed out, glaring at Xin. "Shut up, dammit!" I snapped at her. She suddenly grabbed me and shoved me towards Hinata.

Hinata squealed again but Gaara caught my shoulder and pushed me backwards, saving poor Hinata from being crushed. Xin cackled in the background and then suddenly stopped, leaning forward to rearrange and organize the devices on the table located in front of her couch. I think she called it a coffee table.

"Well, aren't you going to ask her?" Gaara suddenly smirked at me smugly. That fucker was being too smug for his own good. I glanced down at Hinata and noticed she was blushing but staring at me expectantly. "I don't know anything about these dates your clean-freak of a sister insisted on," I began to say, ignoring Xin's huff. But that didn't stop her from what she was doing. See? Clearly the woman was a clean-freak.

"That's okay," Hinata replied quietly, playing with her hands. I could feel the corners of my lips pull up into a wide smile. Xin was suddenly behind me, clinging to my shoulder and literally dangling off of the floor. "Now, honey, this is the part where you simply ask: 'would you like to go out with me, Hinata?'. It's not hard at all. Take your time, snookums. Baby steps," She cooed at me with a wide smile.

I felt my smile drop and I gave shot her a dry look. "Get off," I shook my shoulder and she lost her grip, falling off to thump on the floor. "You twat!" She huffed from the floor and then frowned. "Oh my God, who the fuck has been throwing trash underneath my couch!? You lazy twats, I'm gonna kill you!" She suddenly began shrieking, digging underneath her couch to collect all of the trash.

"Right…while she's losing her mind down there…" I mumbled, scratching at the back of my neck. "Would you like to go on a date with me, Hinata?" it came out slowly and quietly and I completely made a fool of myself. I should just go rot under a fuckin' rock now….

"Of course."

Xin paused and then smiled during her cleaning and Gaara smirked again. I was quite surprised, to be quite honest. Sometimes it was still so hard to believe the little pacifist had some sort of interest in me. Amazing little woman, I'd like to think.

"We…can go to a ramen-vendor and then to a park," She offered kindly, slowly standing up. She quickly darted to her sister's room to pick through the wardrobe. Xin glanced at her room and then looked at me, becoming quite serious. She stood up and placed her hands on her hips, frowning.

"Now, you listen here you illiterate brute. I know I pretty much peer pressured your big ass into this, but that does not mean you can take advantage of my sister, you got that? If you so much as lay a finger on her in an indecent way, I will know. And I will come after you. I know I don't seem so threatening because of my small size, but rest assured, Naruto. I'm a UFC champion, which means I'm the ultimate fighting champion. A mixed martial artist. On top of that, I know how to use a bow and arrow and I'm a fuckin' miko. Put it together, bozo, I'm an undisputed UFC, bow-wielding miko. You got that? I will hurt you. Whether your conscious or not does not matter to me."

Although she was right, she didn't seem to threatening because of her small size. But I'm pretty sure that if she could keep up with Lee in a boxing ring, she could at least hurt me in some way. Whether she punched me in my fuckin' jaw with a purified fist or shot an arrow through my fuckin' eye, she'll find a way.

A nervous chuckle escaped me and I patted her on the head. I leaned past her to stare at Gaara. "Oh yeah, she's a keeper," I told him sarcastically. "And by the way, what does illiterate mean?"

Gaara only sighed heavily.

_End P.O.V_

* * *

Xin waved cheerfully as Naruto escorted her sister out of the apartment, smiling the whole time. "Ah, kids. They grow up so fast. I remember when Naruto first arrived here and insisted that I was a harlot and you were fuckin' crazy. Good times, good times," She hummed sweetly, sitting down next to her quiet companion.

Gaara was usually quiet but this time, he seemed a little off. He was brooding; obviously something was weighing heavily on his mind. She leaned in closer, her thick ponytail falling over her shoulder and tickling his arm and cheek.

"Get your hair out of my face, doll." He ordered stonily, pushing at her ponytail. She scowled at him and quickly swiped her hair over her shoulder. "My bad for having long hair, damn. I just wanna know what crawled up your ass and died." She huffed while folding her arms over her chest.

He looked at her thoughtfully and then surprised her by answering her question. "I was watching some stupid 'show' with your sister. One of the characters reminded me of my Mother."

Xin was obviously shocked and then she rolled her lips together. She remembered some time ago when Gaara first came to live with her, he mentioned that his Mother had died some time ago.

She reached over and grabbed his larger hand, running her thumbs over it. "Sometimes it's nice to talk about things that are bothering you. I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to but I'm just saying I'm here for you if you wanna talk. You listened when I told you I was raped, so I'm willing to listen to any sob story….I mean any tragic memory…."

Gaara watched her as she continued to ramble. "Okay, how did she pass away? She died during…like some kingdom raid by rebellious citizens?" She began fishing for answers, wondering what happened to his Mother.

"She was murdered."

"Whaaat? By who?"

Gaara sighed heavily and looked down for a moment, playing with her much smaller hands. "Officially, her murderer is unknown. By my siblings and I know it was my Father's council. They're behind her murder," He replied, anger seeping into his usual calm eyes.

"Why would they do that?"

"Stop interrupting to ask a question and I'll tell you."

"Sorry, go on. Jeez."

"Before my Father met and married my Mother, he was….what do you insist on calling him? A prick? Is that right?" He paused, glancing at her. She grinned and nodded and then her grin vanished. "He was a prick. He was worse, apparently. But then he met my Mother and supposedly fell in love and changed his ways for her.

For years, Suna was calm and peaceful. And during those years my siblings and I were born. Everything was fine. People loved my Mother, adored her. Except for the council. She got in the way of the many plans they wanted my Father to approve of. Mother wouldn't have liked any of the plans because they all would have destroyed the peace. So my Father denied every last plan they came up with.

I was a child at a time but I knew they were plotting against my Mother, I could see it in their eyes every time they looked at her. There was a day where she wasn't feeling well after consuming soup that had been prepared for her. She retired to her bed and became horribly sick after that.

She was poisoned. Someone had poisoned her but no one knew who. The only demon who could have cured my Mother was Tsunade. At the time, Tsunade had not been living in Konoha, she had been traveling the demon-world and no one could locate her. After several days of failing health, my Mother died.

My Father did not take it well. He was depressed, I suppose. Losing his love to death all of a sudden. Why would someone want to destroy his family? His peace. My father was clearly blinded and was not aware of the company he keeps. The council took advantage of his depression and molded it into rage. After all of that, everything changed. He was cold-blooded and was only soft towards Temari because she resembled our Mother. But he molded me into a monster and Kankuro into an idiotic, but fearless warrior."

Xin was quiet for several minutes. What the hell was she supposed to say to that? That she was sorry? He'd think she pitied him. And she knew him long enough to know that Gaara did not take kindly to pity parties. She reached forward and touched him arm with the tips of her fingers.

"Maybe if you just spoke to your Father…"

Gaara growled and slapped her hand away. His eyes flickered to molten gold and he barred his teeth at her. Clearly talking about his parents was a touchy subject for him. If that was true, why the fuck did he tell her in the first place? What did he want her to do? Was she supposed to sit next to him quietly and let him brood like a depressed little bitch?

She glared at him, folding her arms. "Look here Gaara…or Shukaku, whoever the fuck you wanna be right now. Make up your goddamn mind, your flickering eyes is giving me a damn headache!" She began to snap, huffing. "I don't know what the fuck you want me to say but if you're just gonna growl and try to scare me with your cracked out eyes, that's not gonna work! If I can stand up to the Kyuubi or Kurama, whatever fuck is his name, I can damn sure stand up to you!"

"Don't pity me." He scowled at her fiercly and Xin found herself nearly smacking her forehead. She knew it. She knew he was gonna jump the gun and just assume she was pitying him. She scowled back, ignoring the fact that his brick-red hair was lightening up to sandy blond.

"I wasn't pitying you, damn! I was only suggesting something. The fuck do you want me to do? Let you sit here and be in a bitchy mood?" Xin snapped at his accusation. "That's rich, little human. My host did not pity you when you told him about your sob-story of being raped," Shukaku snarled out her, catching her off guard.

"_Oh. _You really wanna throw low blows, raccoon-boy? Seeing as you just told me about something that obviously deeply scarred you and Gaara, you really wanna try and cut me down when I'm the one trying to be nice?" She poked him in the chest; clearly not backing down from Gaara's rather pissed off demon.

Shukaku growled at her utter defiance. Defiant little bitch needed to be taught who was the dominant one in their little relationship. She shouldn't be able to just go around speaking to him as if he was some common demon.

He snatched her up by the front of her shirt and pulled her closer. She sputtered in surprise but then squared her shoulders, placing her hands on his thighs to hold herself up right. "You need to be taught to stay in your place," Shukaku muttered darkly in her face. Xin snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, manhandling me ought to do the trick," Xin snapped back at him.

"Weak little woman."

"Dumbass demon."

Shukaku chuckled, his breath tickling Xin's face. "I like you, little woman," He told her, causing her to frown. "Good for me then, eh?" She replied dryly, raising her eyebrows at his amused smirk. "I would think so." He nodded. "Right, right. Now let go of my shirt." Xin ordered him, looking down at his hand that still gripped the front of her shirt. Shukaku rolled his golden eyes at her. "I was serious when I said you need to be taught to stay in your place," He scowled at her.

She felt his hand on the base of her spine pushing her closer to his body. She already knew what he was trying to do before her body even met his. "I hardly think this will teach me to stay in my place," She mumbled sarcastically just before he kissed her.

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

I glared at Gaara while rubbing my _(no doubt)_ bruised and swollen lips. "I was being sarcastic when I said manhandling would do the trick," I told him in annoyance. Something tells me by the rough kisses and grabbing that the Shukaku must love to have rough sex. I bet he liked having Emiko around, that freak.

"You're the one who suggested it. And besides, it's not my fault," Gaara shot back at me, looking down at the shot of vodka I had shoved in his hands. Kankuro really wasn't kidding when he told me there was only sake and maybe wine back in the demon world.

Man, they were missing out.

"Gaara, the vodka isn't going to kill you. Just shoot it back," I rolled my eyes at his cautious eyes. Seriously, if anything, the vodka would kill me way before he could do any type of damage to his superior freak-demon body.

"I prefer sake," He grumbled in displeasure. I rolled my eyes. I found myself rolling my eyes a lot more now than ever. "Quit being such a pussy. Be a man and down that vodka. C'mon, show those Russians that we Japanese people can take their alcohol!"

He gave me a look, clearly not understanding that Vodka was Russian. I sighed heavily and realized that I had to teach him and Naruto a lot about the human world if they planned on sticking around. I paused at the thought, staring down at my shot thoughtfully. How long were they planning on staying? Were they going to go back to their world and just leave Hinata and me behind? I frowned and wondered just how that would affect me. Or Hinata. She was really starting to like Naruto, I was sure. I could see it in her eyes. I knew my sister way too well.

"Something wrong, doll?" He asked me, jostling me out of my depressing thoughts with an elbow to my side. The vodka nearly sloshed onto my lap and I looked down at the shot in disdain. "I'm fine," I mumbled softly.

I didn't really see a point in telling him of my worries. There was a mutual attraction between him and I…..but that's it. That's as far as it goes. And I'm sure after he's finally somehow managed to have sex with me _(I'm afraid that my determination to push him away sexually is weakening like every fuckin' day…)_ he'd return to the demon realm and that will be the end of this wacky adventure.

I felt my stomach boil in disgust at the way I was thinking. I'm not in love. And I don't want to have sex with him. The affects of drinking was starting to weigh me down and make me think stupid thoughts that I wouldn't normally think had I been sober.

Yeah. That's good.

"You don't seem fine," Gaara noted while leaning far too close to me. I sighed heavily and downed my shot of Vodka, pursing my lips as the acid liquid slid down my throat and made a nice little home in the pit of my stomach. "Why so pushy?" I questioned blandly, wondering if I should pour another shot.

"I was simply wondering why you're being so quiet," Gaara shrugged, finally growing enough balls to down his shot of Vodka. "Well, you're in a much better mood than before," I snorted, leaning into my couch with a sigh. He only shrugged again and I slumped my shoulders. Sometimes he was horrible company to keep around because he didn't fuckin' speak. "Your sister and Naruto have been gone for quite some time," He said suddenly out of nowhere. Well. I guess he could speak when he wanted to.

Glancing at the time, I frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose. But if Hinata was uncomfortable or anything, she'd call me so I'm not too worried," I told him truthfully. "But you are worried to some extent," He stated rather than asking. "Well, yeah. I mean…she's my sister and Naruto does have a freak demon inside him who obviously has a thing for Hinata."

"But you trust the Shukaku to be around you, knowing he obviously has some attraction towards you?" He shot at me with a smirk. I pursed my lips in thought and laughed softly. "Does the Shukaku have a history of raping woman back in the demon-realm?"

"No."

"Then I trust him enough. I trust you, so yeah."

Gaara seemed quite surprised by my words and that made me smile widely. "Don't look so surprised, God. We've known each other for months. You piss me off from time to time but I know you enough to trust you. I mean, you did save me from dying by your crazy ex-girlfriend. That's enough for me."

Gaara looked thoughtful and for a minute, it looked like he was about to smile at me. Too bad the door chose to bang open at the moment and Hinata came charging in looking quite shocked or scared. Maybe if the Vodka hadn't numbed my senses, I would've reacted faster. Instead, I turned sluggishly and frowned. "Hina? What's the matter with you?" I asked her, slowly standing up and using the back of the couch to hold me up.

Her eyes were wild as she looked at me and Gaara. "I think her mental state has finally broke," Gaara commented blandly. I glared at him and smacked is arm in annoyance. "What happened, Hinata?"

"It's Neji and Tenten…" She began to say. "What about them? Are they in trouble or something? Did they break up, cuz' that would be awful! And where's Naruto?" I began to ramble in thought. "Shh!" She snapped, shushing me. Well! I don't know what her problem is, but whatever it was; it was making her quite fussy. A fussy Hinata was not something I saw too much of. Whatever Tenten and Neji had done to her must have been huge for her to act like this.

Just as she was about to spill whatever was bothering her, my older cousin thundered in with determined eyes. "Neji?" I titled my head to the side. What was his problem and why was he running in here like a bat out of hell? I hadn't seen him in months, what the hell was going on?

"Don't you do it, Hinata," He ordered my panicky sister. She surprised me by suddenly darting around the couch and cowering behind Gaara. He looked down at her in curiosity but didn't bother pushing her away. Neji narrowed his eyes but didn't do anything else. Once Hinata was sure she was safe behind Gaara, she opened her mouth.

"Neji is a demon!"

The room was quiet as I registered my sister's panicked words. My cousin? My Neji-Nii? How was that even possible? I slowly turned to face my cousin, regarding him with squinted eyes. My head slowly titled to the side to show my obvious confusion.

"Um….the fuck?"

* * *

After my sister's stand off with my cousin, Naruto and Tenten hurried to join us. Tenten blanched once she caught sight of my obviously confused expression. "Tenten," I heard Gaara greet my cousin's fiancé.

"Gaara."

I whirled around to face him while Naruto shut the door quietly. "You know her? How do you know her?" I demanded incredulously. "She's a demon from Konoha. She and my sister have battled in the past but they're friends now," Gaara explained to me shortly.

I gaped at Tenten, that traitorous bitch! We've known each other since we were thirteen years old and she had never mention being a fuckin' demon! And Temari knew her? What the fuck was my life coming to?!

"Well?" I hissed, folding my arms and cocking my hip out. "Is someone gonna explain or what? Neji, how the fuck are you a demon when you're related to us? Last time I checked, we're mikos. Not demons. And Tenten, you….you bitch."

"What did I do?" Tenten huffed at me, hands on her hips. "You never told me you weren't human!" I snapped at her. "How was I supposed to know you've been getting real chummy with Naruto and Gaara this whole time…?" She suddenly paused, looking at me in confusion.

"Oh my _goddddd_," She suddenly gasped, looking at me and then at Gaara. I suddenly remembered a couple of weeks ago when I met Tenten for dinner. I recalled telling her that I maybe sort of…liked Gaara. Oh fuck. If she opened her mouth at a time like this, I'd never hear the end of it from Gaara or Naruto.

"Shut up! You shut the hell up right now!" I snapped at her, giving her a dangerous look. She suddenly gave me a wide smile, a smile that just screamed _'I know a secreeeet'._ Everyone else watched our odd exchange but didn't bother commenting on it.

"Back to the question at hand! Neji! Explain this fuckery!" I growled at my older cousin, who rolled his eyes. "Language, little cousin." He reminded me blankly. "Don't tell me what to do, Neji. I'm a grown ass woman. Now, explain how the fuck you're a demon."

"I'm not a demon. I'm a half-demon."

He allowed me let his words sink. "A half demon…that means you're half human…so…" I tried to put things together. I knew for a fact that my Uncle Hizashi couldn't be a demon. He was my Father's twin brother. So that just left one other option.

"Your Mother is a demon?" I asked slowly. "But I thought the women in our family were all mikos," Hinata said, coming out from behind Gaara. "They are. Except for my Mother's side. They're demons." Neji shrugged while glancing between her and me.

"This doesn't make any sense…" I mumbled more to myself than to everyone else. "Well, her side started out as Mikos, but her ancestors began mating with demons. Eventually the demon genes overpowered the human and miko genes," Neji explained to us.

"But you've been aging like we have. When we were kids, you were kids," Hinata suddenly brought up a damn good point. "It's because I'm half human. As of now, I'll probably stay this way for a long time." Neji further explained, motioning to his pretty-boy face. I'd like to punch the shit out of that pretty-boy face. Let's see if Tenten wants to marry you with a broken jaw, bucko.

"…And our whole family knows about this?"

"The elders do. None of our cousins know."

My head was starting to throb in annoyance. "Okay…so, Naruto, Gaara, Tenten, and Lee are full demons. Neji is a half demon due to Aunty Yuka being a demon and Hinata and I are mikos. Well….aren't we just an interesting bunch of people?"

"You know Lee's a demon?" Tenten tilted her head to the side. "Yeah, I ran into him a couple of days ago and then Naruto said he knew him and the rest is history," I rubbed my temples slowly. "Is anyone else I've been friends with for years a demon?" I mumbled in depression. Just how many people were deceiving me? The fuckin' chick at the grocery store who always gave me discounts on baking supplies? Jerry? My old college professor?

Obviously anyone could be a demon.

Tenten suddenly saw the bottle of Vodka sitting innocently on my coffee table. I gave her a sour look and rolled my eyes but motioned for her to go ahead anyway. "Well, you guys might as well stick around for a bit," I suggested for my cousin. He nodded stiffly and sat down in my recliner where Gaara usually sat. "So, when exactly did you two get mixed up with my cousins?" Neji asked, looking from Naruto and Gaara. "And why were you on a date with Hinata?" He continued, glaring at Naruto.

"Y-You don't have to be so protective, Neji. I can take care of myself," Hinata informed Neji while blushing. I smiled at her. She was too cute for her own good. Neji shot me a look and I simply shrugged. "Hey, she says she can take care of herself. Who am I to get in her way?"

"And besides….Xinny pressured me into asking Hinata on the date…."

Neji narrowed his eyes at me and I rolled my eyes. "It isn't my fault he needed a push in the right direction. If they like each other, then hey, they like each other. We're not children anymore, Neji. We haven't been children for years. We're capable of taking care of ourselves." I told him with hands on my hips.

"And besides," I began, already knowing I might regret my next words. "Don't act you care now. We haven't seen you since…I'unno, since our Father's birthday last year. Don't try to come back here and demand to know why Hinata is out on a date with Naruto. She's a grown woman. And we didn't question you when you decided you wanted to date Tenten," I jabbed a thumb at Tenten, who was greedily pouring herself a drink.

"Oi, leave me out of this. I'm not apart of the family yet!"

We ignored her outburst but I mentally nodded. She was right; she wasn't apart of our family yet so there was no need to bring her into a family dispute. Neji glared at me, his eyes hardening. "I'm not afraid of you," I growled at him. If he thought that I was gonna back down now because I knew he was half demon, he was mistaken. I didn't back down when I didn't know and I won't back down now.

"I just don't want anything to happen to her, Xin. She is my younger cousin," He reminded me with a sigh. Oddly enough, jealousy exploded through my chest, grabbing and twisting at my heart. If he was so concerned about her well-being, what about me? Why wasn't he concerned about me? Gaara and I had been alone while Hinata and Naruto were gone for fuckin' hours on their little date. Anything could have happened to me if Gaara wasn't the good demon I knew him to be.

"I'm bored of this," I suddenly grumbled, storming to my kitchen. I just now remembered that I had been making pizza from scratch when Naruto and I were in the kitchen earlier. The dough was still on the counter and I felt like banging my head against something.

I knew I was fully capable of taking care of myself. Even before this whole miko business, I took care of myself. I'm a UFC fighter, a boxer, a woman who didn't need protection from other people around her. But it's not like these people around me were simple humans anymore. They were demons and while I'm able to stun some of them by punching the shit out of them with a purified fist, they still had more of a chance to kill me.

I'm still a human, after all.

"Oi, you okay?"

Just as I was getting back to finishing that homemade pizza, Tenten stepped into the kitchen. Glancing over my shoulder briefly, I sent her a tight smile. I turned back to the dough and started to re-kneed it. "I'm fine," I told her, realizing I had a similar conversation with Gaara earlier where I insisted I was fine when I really wasn't.

"Really." She didn't so convinced she slinked up beside me. I sighed heavily and sagged my shoulders. "Really." I confirmed with a nod. "Hm," Tenten hummed out, leaning her hip into the counter. "Xinny, I know you might be having a difficult time with life right now," Tenten began and I found myself groaning quietly. If she started with all the pity-party bullshit, I'm gonna purify the living shit out of her.

"And I know Neji focuses on Hinata a lot. But that's okay. You've got me to talk to. Anytime you need someone to talk to, you can always call me. Just because I'm a demon, it doesn't mean anything has changed. We've know each other, what? Six? Seven years? We're still best friends, okay?" She reminded me softly, moving closer towards me.

I rolled my lips together and almost felt like sobbing right there. I don't know, maybe it was my time of the month coming up but everything just seemed too much. Everything was beginning to weigh down on me and I was starting to think I couldn't trust anyone but myself. I was starting to think maybe it would be better to end this all. Was it even worth it?

"It's just getting so hard," I whispered softly, laying my head on her shoulder. She instantly brought her arm around me and I felt a little better. "Every time I turn around someone else is a demon or someone is trying to rip my throat out. My cousin is a half demon and the only thing he's concerned about besides his fuckin' life is Hinata. How come he doesn't care that I'm being hunted down? And Gaara and Naruto are telling me that everything is gonna be okay and all the bullshit, but I've been kidnapped before. What's gonna stop them from kidnapping me again?"

Tenten sighed and rubbed soothing patterns on my arm. "If you're going through hell, keep going." She suddenly said. "You might as well turn your wounds into wisdom," She continued to say in sage-like manner. "Dude….did you get that from a fortune cookie or something?"

Tenten burst out into a light laughter. "No, stupid. I forget where I got all that from but c'mon, you can't give up now. I know it's hard for you but that just means at the end of this, all your hard work through this will be rewarded. When things are getting difficult, that just means something good will happen in the end. You just have to keep pushing on through the bullshit, okay? Don't kill yourself you silly human."

"Don't start to act all high and mighty now that I know you're a demon. Bitch, you're still the crazy ass chick obsessed with sharp things to me, got that?" I told her, poking her in the chest. I didn't want anything to change between Tenten and I. She was right when she said we're best friends.

"Alright, fair enough."

"Good. Now let me go. Your breath smells horrible."

"Bitch, your breath smells the same!"

* * *

_TeeBeMe: Things have been crazy for me lately, so it was a struggle to write this all out. I'm not sure if I'm satisfied with this chapter. You guys let me know, okay?_

**Xin: Reeview!**

_TeeBeMe: _

_OokamiLover19: I'm glad you think it's progressing well. Sometimes I'm a little nervous on whether everything feels rushed. _

_Kiteria: Yes, Xinny was lucky enough to know how to make barriers. The Kyuubi isn't too fond of Xin. A lot of demons aren't. Ha-ha. Gaara can be defensive when he needs to, Xin did get all up in his face and just accuse him of things that happened during his past. It wasn't too nice of her. I agree with you 100 percent on reviews. As soon as I catch up on BlueDevil High, best believe I'll be bombarding you with reviews. _

_Panda-Chan8: I love Lee, he's just so fun! His appearance is a bit insane but that just adds on to why I love him. He's such a sweetheart. I think it would be better for the Shukaku to be attracted to Xin not only for her appearance but for the fact that she won't back down from him. It excites him. To be quite honest, when Xin was talking about finding Jesus, I couldn't take serious either and I'm the one who wrote it. I think she meant it, half seriously but half jokingly. I haven't graduated yet, I'm actually starting school on the seventh and I will be a senior this year! Good luck on being a junior! And I agree, I think Xin is a mix better Mikey and Raph! _

_Akari. Wolf. Princess: I'm glad you caught up, dear! I think Hinata and Naruto are adorable too. Omg, yeeees, I looooved the Butt Ugly Martians! I used to go around my house screaming "WE ARE THE MARTIANS, THE BUTT UGLY MARTIANS!" my mom hated that show. I noticed you were right when you mentioned everyone but the Hyuuga family seemed to be demons so I decided to add a twist and make Neji a demon. What do you think of that? Good or bad? _

_CuteyJayAnimeLover1: There's definitely going to be a lot more affection between Naruto and Hinata. I'm glad you thought the kiss was sweet, Xin is slowly getting used to Gaara's affections although she still is questioning it from time to time. _


	10. We're not broken Just bent

_TeeBeMe: Updaaaaaate. How's school for everyone?_

**Xin: TeeBeMe only owns the OCs, nothing else.**

* * *

"Stop fighting!"

Hinata whimpered just as Xin jumped in between Naruto and Neji. "Oi! Oi! Come on, no fighting my house! I just cleaned!" She snapped, pressing her back into Naruto's chest and stretching her arms out with a set frown. Neji barred his teeth at the blond behind her but Xin frowned, willing a light purple thick plate in front of her. "You really wanna try to fight me, Hyuuga?" Naruto barked out, his appearance slowly start to fade into that of the Kyuubi's.

"For the safety of my cousin, then yes. I'll fight you, Kurama," Neji growled back as Xin glanced behind her. She cursed under her breath and jumped away, standing exactly in between them. She looked off to the side to see Tenten standing protectively over Hinata and Gaara stand off to the side with a blank expression.

Some help they were.

"Seriously, there's no need to fight," She insisted, holding up her glowing hands to both of them. "Step down, cousin," Neji growled at her, veins beginning to strain out around his eyes. Xin looked confused at the swollen veins but pushed it aside. Her apartment was at stake at the moment.

"What's with the freaky ass eyes? Is that supposed to scare me?" Xin huffed with a hard scowl. "You look like your eyes are on crack!" She snapped at him, holding her hand out to him. Neji seemed a little baffled at her outburst. But he ignored her outburst and barred his teeth at her.

"Step down."

Xin stepped closer to him, her scowl hardening and her hand glowing a brighter purple. "You can't tell me what to do," She hissed at him. Seeing as how he was forgotten, Kurama's features began to fade back into that of Naruto's. He frowned at the two cousins but slowly backed away to see if Hinata was alright. He regretted shoving her out of the way when Neji had stormed into Xin's apartment.

Clearly this was a power-struggle between the two cousins. "I'm not sure what's up with your demonic side being bitch or whatever right now, but this isn't your house, Neji. This is my house. You can't bully me into backing down right now. If I don't want a fight to break out in my home, then there's not going to be any fuckin' fighting," Xin said slowly, staring him down.

"That's enough of that," Gaara hummed out, suddenly appearing in front of Xin. She instantly snapped her hand down to her sides. She curled her fingers around his bicep and peered around his form to peer at her brother. "Obviously, you aren't the Alpha in this pack. You're upsetting your cousins. I thought you were meant to protect them, not upset them," Gaara told Neji, smirking lazily.

Neji narrowed his eyes but seemed to relax when Tenten quickly breezed to his side. "C'mon, hon. No need for bad blood with your cousins." She pulled him over to the couch and forced him to sit down. Neji sighed heavily as the veins surrounding his eyes suddenly faded back into his temples.

"You're right," He mumbled, massaging his temples. "Course I am," Tenten grinned, sitting on the arm of the couch next to him. "I apologize, Hinata." He turned to the woman, who nodded stiffly. "It's alright."

"What about me?" Xin huffed, coming towards him. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned over him, her ponytail falling over her shoulder. "I apologize to you as well, Xin." Neji gave her an amused look. She was still a child when it came to getting attention from someone.

"However…I would like to know something."

"And that would be?"

Neji paused momentarily, thinking something over. "What exactly is going on with this?" He waved his hand to Xin, Gaara, Naruto and Hinata. "I mean, what are your intentions for my cousins?" He expanded on his question, noticing how the twin's face heated up at the same time.

"What the fuck kind of question is that?!" Xin huffed again, eyes wide. Neji rolled his eyes and poked her stomach. "Pretty girls shouldn't curse," He reminded her blankly. "Tenten curses all the time…"

"Oi! Leave me out of this!"

Xin rolled her eyes and continued frowning. "I told your cousin I would keep her safe and that's what I intend to do," Gaara folded his arms across his chest. Neji looked quite confused while Tenten looked down at her nails nervously.

"Keep her safe from what?"

Xin looked quite confused at her cousin. "You mean….you don't know?" She asked slowly. Neji gave her a blank look and shook his head. "Obviously I don't know…" He mumbled sourly. Gaara frowned but shrugged when Xin looked at him for confirmation.

"A little while ago when I first met Gaara, he was going to destroy the human world…" Xin began to explain, quickly pushing Neji down when he started to stand up with a dark look. "Let me finish, damn!" She snapped in his face, keeping her smaller hands on his shoulders.

"As I was saying," Xin grumbled when Tenten secured a hold on Neji. "But me, being the awesome woman that I am, made a deal with him. But his Dad didn't really like that I got in his way, so he wants me dead now." Xin finished with her explanation, smiling widely.

"What was the deal you made with him?"

"That's not important right now…."

Neji glared at her but she simply folded her arms across her chest. "We're doing fine, Neji. I'm alive; you can trust Gaara, alright?" She sniffed in annoyance, cocking her hip to the side.

"Like I'll ever trust him…"

* * *

Xin wasn't sure if Neji and Tenten had left but she didn't care at this point. She just wanted to shower already. She hadn't even been able to get a shower in before Neji and Naruto had their stupid confrontation. She wasn't even sure what Naruto did to Hinata to piss Neji off. She had just heard a bunch of shouting before she came out of her room to break up the oncoming fight.

The hot water streamed down on her naked form and she simply sighed. She ran her fingers through her matted wet hair in a tired manner. These demons were too territorial for her. They always had something to growl about when another male came into their vicinity.

Xin finished her shower up and stepped out, tracking water all over her bathroom. She pulled her fluffy robe over her body and quickly dried her hair, giving up when it was only semi-dry. She left her bathroom, hurrying by the others to get into her room without anything being said.

She closed her door and leaned against it with a sigh, slumping her shoulders. She pushed off a moment later and nearly shrieked in surprise. Gaara was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at her with an odd look on his face. She instantly began picking at her hair in confusion.

"Why are you in here?"

"Because your cousin is a…prick."

Xin shifted, remembering that she was naked underneath her robe and Gaara had the tendency to just touch her whenever he saw fit. She bit her bottom lip, not that it would bother her that much anymore. She was slowly getting used to all the touching.

It wasn't good and she knew it. She liked Gaara, yep, that much she was sure of. She had feelings for the demon, but she didn't know if she would call it love. She'd been in love twice before and both times she had been screwed over. She and love weren't the best of friends at the moment.

"Why didn't you just go up to the roof?" She asked a moment later, crossing the room to her wardrobe, picking through it. Gaara shifted behind her and she looked at him over her shoulder while grabbing at her clothes.

"You wouldn't have been up there as well."

Xin blinked in confusion but smiled widely. She was starting to think Gaara felt the same way about her. He liked her but wasn't sure if it was love. Had he ever been in love before? She couldn't imagine him being in love. Perhaps she was the first one.

She grew giddy at the thought and turned to walk towards him, sitting down next to him. If she squinted, she could've swore Gaara might have been blushing. Xin nodded firmly with a thought in mind and reached out.

Xin inched closer and tilted his face down to her. "That's sweet," She cooed quietly right before she kissed him. He was still as she pressed her lips against his lips while slipping her arms around his neck. He didn't dare twist her around and push her back to the bed like he wanted to do.

That might scare her off and who knew how long it would be before she gained more courage to kiss him first like now. His muscles tensed when she swung her leg over him and maneuvered herself to straddle him. She bit his bottom lip and he finally reacted to her.

Gaara's arms slid around her waist, pressing their bodies together. His mouth opened and her tongue instantly darted in to dance with his. She pushed against his body and he slowly eased down to the bed. The kiss grew deeper, fiercer and almost violent as the two danced for dominance.

Xin shifted on top of him, grinding her hips into him. She heard him inhale sharply through his nose. She paused, her lips still. The miko started to pull away, wondering if she had done something wrong again.

She squeaked in surprise when his arms locked around her and rolled her over, pinning her underneath him. Golden eyes glinted down at her before he dove down again to kiss her again. Xin accepted his kiss, pushing back fiercly. Her fingers danced at the edge of his wife beater before she boldly tugged it off, wanting to touch his skin.

Gaara shivered as her fingers explored his chest. He bit her bottom lip in return and he felt her moan into his mouth. His hands ran down the length of her body, stopping at her robe's belt. He fingered the knot for a couple of minutes before slowly undoing it, opening her robe up.

Seeing as how she didn't shove him off of her, his raised his knee to nestle between her legs. She gasped as her nails dug into his skin, feeling him nudge her. Her face heated up brightly as her nails sunk deeper.

Xin shifted underneath him as he leaned away, eyes sweeping over her naked body. "Stop staring," Xin chided and tried to curl her body into a ball. Gaara snorted above her, snatching her small hands together and pinning them above her head. That should stop her from trying to curl up.

"How cliché," She mumbled, glancing at her pinned hands. Gaara rolled his eyes, one hand coming down to flick a hardened nipple. She gasped loudly and instantly began squirming, trying to break his iron grip on her.

Rape.

Oh yeah, that's right. Sex made her nervous. Pinned down, forced. His grip on her small hands quickly loosed and he leaned in close, cupping her pale face. Gaara kissed her forehead and trailed kisses down to her lips, trying in some way to comfort her, to get that wild look out of her eyes.

"You want me to stop?"

Her chest heaved, nipples brushing against his chest. She breathed slowly through her nostrils, calming her whacked out nerves. "I don't know…" Xin trailed off, looking to the side in her embarrassment. "If you don't want to do anything, just say it." Gaara turned her face back towards him, staring into her eyes.

She sat up slowly, pushing him backwards. He silently pulled her robe back up around her shoulders, covering her. The little miko eyed the stony-faced demon carefully, her eyes digging into his soul for something he wasn't sure he had.

"You don't love me." She stated after the long moment, eyes boring into him. In the quiet, Gaara remembered when he first began to live with her. There had been a moment where he thought there was something off about her eyes. Despite his superiority to her, he felt small underneath her prying gaze. Almost like he was just a child being scolded by their Mother. What was it about her eyes?

"I don't know, Xin. Perhaps."

Her eyes hardened.

"I've never had the use for such the emotion."

"Am I just a toy?"

Gaara regarded her silently. He wished she'd take those damn eyes off of him. He felt like he couldn't breathe with her strong gaze trained on him. It felt like she was smothering him with her intent stare. _Yes._ He should've said yes. She was a toy. That's _it_. That's_ all_ she ever was. That's all she ever was _supposed_ to be. But she wasn't, not _anymore._

Her gaze faltered, she looked down to her lap. As soon as her stare broke, he felt himself sigh in relief. He couldn't take her eyes. They were so pure. And hopeful. So hopeful. _Stop looking at me with those eyes, _he wanted to shout. Like he was a good person. He wasn't a person. He was a demon.

And she, a miko.

Gaara laughed at the pure irony of it all. Of all the things to be, a human miko. A human miko falling in love with a damned demon. They weren't built to last. He knew it. How could they be? It was in her blood to terminate his kind. Him. He could kill, he should kill her. She was the enemy.

They'd be the death of one another.

Who cares?

* * *

"Oh my fuckin' God, did you see that!? Gaara, did you see that!"

Xin squealed loudly as she pointed to the arrow in the middle of the bulls eye. But she wasn't excited about that. Kiyone decided it was time for the mikos in training to learn how to channel their energy in their arrows. "Why are you so excited? Hinata pretty much mastered this twenty minutes ago," Naruto blandly called to her, pointing a finger at the quiet woman. Hinata blushed but her stance didn't falter. She let go of the bow's string, letting the lavender-tinted arrow whizz through the air before firmly planting itself into her target.

Xin scowled at her, hands on her hips. "Bitch, swerve!" She snapped at him, smacking him with her bow. "Ow! Oi, that hurt," Naruto whined while pointing to Xin's long bow. "That was the point, your twat."

Xin ignored Naruto's whining, turning to Gaara with a big smile. He's been a lot quieter lately. He was brooding over something that had something to do with her, she was sure. At least she hadn't hurt his feelings like last time. Instead of being a little prissy bitch on the roof, he did it in her line of vision. She felt a lot better when he was around her.

As of late, she began to feel like someone was watching her. At first, she brushed it off as some of her freakish paranoia she tended to have. But the feeling of being watched grew stronger each day. She knew damn well demons were on her head, waiting for the perfect moment to strike her down as Shigure had ordered.

Gaara looked down at her and nodded. A moment later, he lifted his large hand and placed it on top of her head, ruffling her dark hair. "You're doing great," He told her, his hand sliding down to brush his thumb just underneath her eye.

His simple compliment had her smile turn even brighter. With a determined look in her eyes, she turned away to finish her training for the day. Gaara was glad she was learning how to properly use her miko heritage to protect herself.

He might not be around to protect her.

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

It was one of those nights again where I had to close up the gym by myself. The last time I had been left alone at the gym, Gaara's whack-ass nutcase of an Ex kidnapped my ass and tortured me for hours. But I wasn't as worried as I should've been.

I was changing back into normal clothes in the locker room when I noticed my shirt was missing. I frowned, crouching down to dig through my large bag to locate the damn thing. I know I packed a clean one. Oh, this was such a set up, it wasn't even fuckin' funny...

I stood up with a huff, figuring I must have dropped it somewhere on my way to the stall. I eased the stall door open to step out, only to scream bloody murder. I slammed the stall door shut and threw myself against the back wall just as the door burst open.

I'm not exactly sure how to describe this demon. The fucker had a mask of…I dunno even how to explain it. It looked like it could've been made of hardened sand. I guess it's clay then?

Oh wait, who gives a fuck?

He made a move to grab at me, but I ducked under him and darted from the confined stall. I made a dash for the door only to slam into another demon, his accomplice I guess. You ever ricochet off a fuckin' wall or something and fall right on your ass? With like no cushion? No? The shit hurts.

He lifted his leg and slammed it down towards me, intending to crush my fuckin' head like a grape. I squealed like a little bitch and rolled out of the way and jumped to my feet. As soon as I was on my feet, the first tried to punch me in my face.

I caught his fist with both of my hands and swung my foot up into his temple. He ripped his hand from me and stumbled back, shocked that I kicked him in his fuckin' head. Serves the asshole right. Ha.

The other one rushed towards me, tackling me from behind. I gasped, landing flat on my face with his heavy ass on top of me. Struggling underneath his fat ass, I somehow managed to elbow him in the stomach. He sputtered and I took my chance to shove him off of me.

He got to his feet just as I had. I glanced between the two of them, knowing they were about to double-team the living shit out of me. I mumbled a prayer to Jesus to myself quietly. Lord give me strength.

They rushed me at the same time. I can barely even describe how I was able to keep up. One punched, I jumped back. The other kicked, I ducked. It went on like that for several minutes with me just dodging all their attacks. My body started to ache and felt weighed down the more I dodged and ducked.

I caught the one of my left by his leg. Instead of pushing it away like I had been doing, my hand began to glow bright purple. I held on tightly and sunk my nails into his flesh, barring my teeth at him as my glowing hand ate away at his skin.

He let out a loud screech of pain before ripping his leg away forcefully. The tips of my fingers were bright red from his flesh and my hand smelled of burned skin as he stumbled away from me.

The other stared at me through his mask but my face remained impassive. I guess he was a little more hesitant now that he saw me damn there burn a hole through his sidekick's leg. Well, that's what happens when you fuck with a miko.

Just as I was ready to kick this fucker in the face with a glowing foot I saw a flash of red. I stumbled backwards in surprise and the nameless demon did the same. Gaara folded his arms across his chest and glanced at me over his shoulder.

"You didn't die," He stated with a smirk tugging at his lips. "Of course I didn't!" I huffed angrily, straightening up to place my hands on my hips. "What do you take me for?" I continued with a hard scowl.

He shrugged and then turned back towards my would-be assassin if I hadn't been such a badass. The assassin bowed his head, glancing at his partner _(who was still suffering third degree burns, courtesy of moi). _I didn't feel bad, just so you know. He deserved being purified.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gaara snapped at him, tilting his head to the side. There was this look in his eyes that sent a shiver crawling down my spine. "I'm following the orders from your Father," he quivered under Gaara's freaky ass gaze. "Really?" He hummed out blandly.

The assassin on the floor groaned loudly and grabbed his leg just above the burned flesh. Gaara glanced down at him with little interest. "And how's that working out?" Gaara smirked coolly as I eased closer to him, clutching him by arm.

"She is more skillful then we intentionally thought," the assassin grumbled, probably glaring at me through his mask. "That's right! I warmed that ass!" I snapped over Gaara's shoulder, pointing at the assassin with a wide grin across my face.

He looked in my direction, "I will kill you, human." He threatened me in a hard voice. I squeaked and tightened my grip on my demon. "Gaara! He's threatening me! Make him stop," I whined childishly, stomping my foot.

"Go find your shirt, doll. And then go out to wait with Naruto," Gaara ordered me, turning around to gently usher me out of the room. "But…" I began to argue with him but he firmly shook his head and kept pushing me until I was out of the locker room.

Naruto was smiling at me out in the gym. He held up my lost shirt. "Where the hell was that thing?" I grumbled with a frown with hands on my hips. "It was on the bench over there. Now hurry up and put it on. Your breasts are way too huge," Naruto shook his head and tossed the shirt to me.

"Shut up," I grumbled while blushing, pulling the shirt on quickly. "Where's Hinata?" I asked as I smoothed any wrinkles out. "…With Lee," Naruto's smile dropped in a hot second. "Oh? Where'd they run off to?"

"To the market, I think…." Naruto grumbled, his frustrations showing clearly on his face. I sighed heavily and glanced over my shoulder at the locker room door. I wonder what was going on in there. I could hear voices talking but they were too quiet and deep for me to pick anything out. And besides, they were probably talking in their weird freaky demon language.

"C'mere," I motioned for Naruto to follow me towards the bench. He watched me carefully but followed anyway, coming to sit next to me. We were quiet for a moment, thinking some things over.

"You like her more than just a friend, don't ya?"

Naruto sputtered in surprise, eyes widening. "What's it called…um…mate!" I snapped my fingers. "You want her to be your mate, right?" I grinned widely, pointing a finger at him. He scrambled for an answer which made me grin wider. He was such an oaf. So adorable.

"I bet you look at someone like Neji and Tenten and you just want that, you know? That you're gonna have someone for life. Their love is gonna last forever. And it makes you stop and wonder if you'll ever get to experience something like that soon or if you'll have to wait years and years…"

Naruto regarded me with thoughtful eyes. "Are you in love with Gaara?" He asked me quietly, softly touching my hand that was settled on my knee. I shifted under his gaze and thought it over with a frown.

"Yeah, pretty much."

I hadn't even admitted it to Hinata, so why was I telling Naruto? "But I'm scared cuz' I don't think he loves me back. He might like me…but that's not what I'm looking for. Love fucked me over twice but I'd take a chance for him. I'm not sure he'd do the same for me, you know?"

Naruto nodded as I unleashed my thoughts to him. "I think Hinata is scared to take a chance with me," He told me after a pause. "It's a little frustrating sometimes. She seems much more relaxed around someone like Lee rather than me," Naruto sighed heavily. He seemed real bummed out.

"She's never been in love. But I think she might love you. It's kind of hard to tell, she's better at controlling and hiding her feelings now. When we were kids, you could read her face and just know what she'd be feeling at the moment. It's different now.

And as for being comfortable around Lee….well Lee is a lot more different than any other guy she and I know. When we first met him, he didn't hatch some whacky ass plot so he could try to sleep with us or anything like that. Lee hung around us cuz' he liked being around us. Hinata trusts him not to do her dirty. And besides, Lee is in love with Sakura anyway."

Naruto listened to me the whole time. "We must make such a pair for an outsider to look at. A big demon and a small miko complaining about wanting to be loved by the person they love." Naruto barked out a laugh and then wrapped his arm around my shoulders, drawing me into his warmth.

"How sad!"

I thought it over and a grin returned to my face, cracking my earlier somber attitude. "We're sad people," I agreed with him, laughing loudly along with him. At least I wasn't the only one who felt the way I did.

"What are you two idiots laughing about?"

_End P.O.V_

* * *

"You know he has deep feelings for you."

Hinata flinched, her arrow falling out of position. She turned to look at Xin who was twirling an arrow in her fingers. "What are you talking about?" She gaped at her sister's cool face.

"Naruto."

The shy woman squinted at the outspoken woman, leaning in close to her face. "You haven't been taking any drugs as of late, have you?" She asked her twin slowly. Xin instantly stopped twirling her arrow to glare at her sister.

"I'm appalled that you would even ask that!"

"Answer the question, Xin."

Xin glared at Hinata and then rolled her eyes. "No, I have not taken any drugs as of late. I've been clean since I was sixteen! Jesus saved me, goddammit!"

"But we're Buddhists…"

"Oh yeah? Well, where the fuck was Buddha when I was in a coma?"

"You are so ignorant….."

Xin waved her sister's comment off. "I was being serious when I said he has feelings for you, though." She continued where she left off. "I can't imagine why…" Hinata said more to herself than to her sister.

"What do you mean?"

Hinata fiddled with the cloth of her miko garb. "He told me that he doesn't have anymore feelings for Sakura-San….but that's not what bothers me…" She began to say as her sister listened quietly for to go on.

"His family is pretty important in their village. Doesn't that mean he has a variety of women to choose from to become his mate?" She sighed heavily, a light blush tinting her cheeks. "That is true…" Xin began to say, noticing her sister instantly frowning.

"But the way I see it, if he wanted those women…..he would've already left."

* * *

Xin grumbled to herself as she hurried to her front door. The pounding on her door was really starting to wear her patiences thin. "Oh no, guys, don't bother! I'll get it," She snapped at her three roommates as she passed by. They didn't do a damn thing around the house. Ever.

"It's your house."

"Shut up."

She reached the door and swung it open with a sigh. The person on the other side was leaning against the frame with a lazy smirk. Xin openly gaped at the person and backed away slightly. "Oh hell no…"

"Xinny! It's been so long!" Her visitor exclaimed, opening his arms to her. Xin in her shock slapped his hands away from her. "Don't you touch me," She hissed out dangerously, moving to slam the door on the person's face.

He reacted before she could slam the door, wedging his foot between the frame and the door. She looked down at his foot with raised eyebrows. "Just let me in to see her, Xinny. I know she's in there…"

"If you don't remove your foot, I'll be handing it to you."

He sighed heavily and sagged his shoulders. "C'mon, honey. I'm a changed person, I promise," He tried to convince the small woman. By the look on her face, she wasn't buying any of it though. "Bullshit," She hissed again. "If you think for a second that I'm gonna let you come in here and be near my sister after what you've done to her, you must not know me." She snarled in his face.

The unknown visitor's face twisted into sheer annoyance and he suddenly shoved the door open. He stood over Xin in an intimidating manner, but the small woman didn't move an inch. She meant what she said when she told him she wouldn't let him near her sister.

Her three roommates quickly turned around to see what was going on when the door slammed into the wall _(making a dent that Xin was sure to bitch about later)._ Naruto frowned, Gaara narrowed his eyes and Hinata blanched, any signs of color leaving her face.

"I dare you," Xin whispered in a low tone. "Xin." Gaara stood up slowly, really not liking how close the newcomer was standing to his little doll. "Who's that?" He asked carefully. Naruto looked and Hinata and his frown deepened. He reached out the woman, pulling her closer. "What's wrong, Hinata?"

Xin balled her small hands into fists. "Get out of my house," She told the opposing male. "Oh but Xinny, can't you believe I changed? I promise I won't hurt either of you girls," He tried his best to convince her he wasn't there to cause problems.

"Oh believe me when I tell you not to worry about Hinata and me…."

Naruto felt annoyed. Who the fuck was this guy and why was Xin and Hinata so on edge about him? He could feel Hinata's hands lock around his arms nervously, her body beginning to quiver in anxiety. "Xin? Who is this guy?" He asked more firmly than Gaara had.

Xin turned to face him, but her eyes were locked onto Hinata. "It's not my place to tell you," She mumbled while keeping her eyes trained on her sister. Naruto and Gaara instantly looked at the nervous woman, eager to know the identity of the male standing over Xin.

"He's my ex-boyfriend, Ganta…" Hinata admitted quietly, looking down to her lap. Naruto bristled visibly but didn't unleash her. Ganta gave an odd smile and moved closer to Xin until they were chest to chest. Xin glared dangerously at him but craned her neck back, meeting his gaze.

Gaara darted towards the two, grabbing Xin around her stomach and pulling her backwards. "Keep your distance," He snapped at Ganta acidly. "Oh, I see you got yourself a new boyfriend, eh? He seems like he's got a short temper, huh honey?" Ganta's old smile remained in place despite Gaara's acid gaze.

"Don't call me that," She hissed in anger. Her head snapped towards Hinata. "Tell them why he's an ex boyfriend," She said, the anger leaving her eyes. It was replaced with sadness as her sister pulled at her shirt nervously.

"He abused me…"

* * *

"_Oi, Nee-San?"_

_Seventeen year old Xin looked up from painting her nails to see Hanabi standing in the doorway to her bedroom. She instantly frowned and capped the blood-red nail polish she had been using on her nails. Hanabi didn't really come towards her older sister's room._

"_Yeah?" _

"_Has Onee-Sama fainted recently?" the younger Hyuuga asked with curious eyes. Xin's eyebrows knitted together in question. "She hasn't fainted since we were fourteen. Why, wassup?" She spun herself around in the chair. _

"_She has all these weird bruises on her body."_

_Xin instantly stopped spinning around in her computer chair, her face becoming deadly serious. "What?" She asked slowly and in a low tone. "I went into her bathroom to ask her about something on my homework but she was changing. She told me to close the door really fast but I saw all these bruises on her back and stomach." Hanabi explained, watching her sister's face._

"_Go back to your homework…"_

_"But Nee-San…"_

_"Go." _

_Hanabi did as she was told. Xin was usually laid back and goofy and didn't really tell her what to do unless she was telling her to 'shut the fuck up'. So for her to become serious and tell her to go do her homework, Hanabi knew not to argue. _

"_It's a nice day out, why don't we go get some ice cream?"_

_Xin watched as her older sister came into her room and went to the window to open it up. "Hinata….are you alright?" Xin got up and quickly walked to her sister side. Hinata pulled back from the window with a frown._

"_I'm fine, why do you ask?"_

_"Let me see your back."_

_"What? No…."_

_"Hinata….just let me see…"_

_Xin grabbed the hem of her sister's shirt and tried to pull it up but Hinata pushed at her hands. Unfortunately for the older sister, Xin was much stronger seeing as she boxed everyday. _

_Xin yanked the shirt up to her sister's breasts and stared at her stomach and back with wide eyes. Her sister's once flawless and pale skin was riddled with ugly purple and black bruises. Some bruises seemed fresh, screaming a vibrant purple at Xin, while others seemed old, yellowing down to nothing. _

"_What the fuck is this?" Xin gritted her teeth together in anger. Hinata scrambled for an answer, her lips trembling pathetically. "He didn't mean it, Xin. He got really angry and I kept talking to him and I know I shouldn't have talked to him because he hates that. But I kept going…so…"_

_"You mean Ganta? Ganta did this to you? Are you crazy? What do you mean 'he didn't mean it'?! Hinata, for Kami's Sake, look at your body! " Xin snapped, her anger turning her face red. "I just…." Hinata began to say but broke down in tears, heaving heavy sobs. Xin wrapped her arms around Hinata, allowing the older girl to rest her head on her shoulder to cry._

_Hell no. She wasn't having this. Hinata should be the last person that has to deal with something like this. She didn't deserve this. Xin was going to make sure Ganta got his ass kicked. _

"_What's going on?" _

_Xin looked up to meet the eyes of her cousin, Neji. She rolled her lips together and motioned towards the bruises. Neji's eyes widened in horror. "Who did that to her?" He asked in an eerily calm voice. _

_Xin began coaxing Hinata to the door, telling her she was going to take her to a hospital to get her checked out. Hinata couldn't even resist, her sobs were growing heavier and her eyes were puffing up. _

_As Xin led her sister by her cousin, she glanced up at him. Similar looks adorned both of their faces. This was not going to go unpunished. A certain gleam glinted in both of their eyes. _

"_Ganta."_

* * *

"And now, three years later you have the audacity to come back here after what you've done to her? Have ya lost your fuckin' mind?" Xin scowled at Ganta, leaning towards the taller man. Gaara peered behind him to watch Naruto's eyes flicker from blue to blood red. Well, this was about to get really ugly, really fast. It was about to go the fuck down….in three….two…one.

Gaara reacted quickly, tightening his grip around Xin and yanking her backwards just as Naruto flew by. Xin squeaked in surprise while Hinata screeched in surprise as Naruto barreled into Ganta with a snarl. Hinata buried her face in her hands, not wanting to see Naruto holding the human to the wall by his throat.

Xin was trying to sort her thoughts out. This bastard had hurt her sister, abused her for the littlest things. Hinata was the last person who deserved that sort of treatment. But should she just sit by and allow Naruto to pretty much choke the life of Ganta?

Before she could react, Hinata darted by her and damn there crashed into Naruto's back. "N-Naruto, please stop!" She tried her best to sound strong, but her voice came out watery and pleading.

"You're joking, right?" Naruto asked blandly, turned red slits to look down at her. She flinched under the angry gaze but wrapped her arm around his arm that was holding Ganta pinned to the wall. Xin was starting to wonder if anyone else was noticing the fact that his face was starting to turn different colors.

"It's all in the past!" Hinata insisted and tugged on him arm. A feeble attempt to release Ganta. Naruto stared the small woman down, his grip tightening and loosening, unsure of what to do. Hinata noticed frantically that Naruto's claws were making punctures in Ganta's throat.

"You guys? He's turning different colors."

"Quiet, doll."

"But Gaara….that isn't good for the soul."

"Shh, doll, shh…."

Xin huffed as Gaara patted at her hip. She was seriously questioning her morals right now. She really wouldn't mind seeing Ganta seriously harmed and _(or)_ maimed. But the pure priestess blood in her hated to see a human die at the hand of a demon. Even if the demon was her friend.

She didn't understand the friendship between the four of them.

Naruto snorted under her pleading gaze and released her grip on Ganta. He watched with a curled lip as the male slid to the floor, sputtering and coughing. "Easy there, you're gonna hack a lung up on my floor and I just cleaned," Xin huffed from behind him, her voice dripping with disgust.

"You sure do keep great company, Hina-Chan. He's a little violent for you, don't you think?" Ganta shot a forced smirk at her. Naruto let out an inhumane growl and dove for the human, but Gaara reacted just in time. He pushed Xin to the side and grabbed Naruto by his shoulder. He heaved the burly blond backwards and turned around to restrain him.

Xin hurried to Ganta to pull him up. "You need to fuckin' leave ya fuckin' irk!" she snapped as he finally stood to shaky feet. Although he kept smirking, his body was quivering under her hands. "Something's funny about him…" Ganta began to mumble, locking eyes with Hinata. "I-It isn't any of your concern…" Hinata insisted, helping her sister push the male out of the apartment.

When the twins turned around, the two demons were gone. Xin sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her bangs. Hinata shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "My heart stopped when I saw him. How did he find us? Why is he back?" She began to ask questions per minute. Xin quickly grabbed her sister and led her over to the couch, settling her down on it. "It's going to be okay," She soothed her frazzled sister, grabbing her in a hug.

"This is insane! We're so broken…."

Xin smiled sadly and wanted to agree with her but she knew she had to be the stronger sister right now. Both of them had been fucked over by love before and it was really coming back to bite them in the ass now.

"We're not broken….just bent. We can learn to love again…"

* * *

Xin leaned against the frame of her bedroom door with a somber look across her face. Naruto had taken Hinata back to her apartment on her request. Xin forgot what Hinata wanted from her own apartment that had been abandoned for months but she trusted Naruto to keep her safe.

Gaara stared at her from the living room, eyes roaming over her figure carefully. Hair loosened spilled over naked shoulders, a thin silk robe covered her lithe body. He watched as she looked down self-consciously. She had been acting strange all day. Something had been weighting down on her heavily.

"Just give me a reason…"

Gaara crossed the room quietly and carefully. "You've been having bad dreams lately, haven't you?" He asked her quietly, standing in front of her. "I…it's written in the scars of my heart…" She replied just as quietly, looking down at her pale feet.

"Can we come clean?"

"Just a little bits enough…"

Gaara cupped her face, causing her to look at him. He bent down slightly, brushing his lips against hers. "Just be mine. I'll protect you forever. You're my mate," He mumbled, burying his face into her neck. It was crazy. It wasn't good. It was wrong. But she had to be his mate. It may not make any sense to an outsider. But to them, it made perfect sense.

"I love you."

"I know."

Xin pressed her fingernails into her palms and rolled her lips together. She uncurled her fists and slid her hands up his arm, wrapping her tiny fingers around him. She stepped back into her darkened room with her.

"Good."

* * *

_Xin groaned._

_Their legs tangled in the sheets._

_She dug her nails into his back._

_His growled lowly and pulled on her dark hair._

_Gaara slammed in._

_Xin gasped loudly._

_He rocked into her slowly, wanting her to adjust._

_She hissed in annoyance and bucked her hips, urging him._

_He picked up the pace, slamming into her roughly._

_Xin moaned, his grip causing her body to bruise._

_They didn't even worry about anything but one another_

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

I woke up with stiff muscles and groaned loudly. I felt something heavy across my stomach. Opening my eyes, I smiled softly, realizing that Gaara's arm was slung across my stomach. He was awake _(I was starting to wonder if_ _this fucker slept ever)_ and his eyes were trained on something in front of us.

I frowned softly and turned in that direction. I nearly screamed my head off when I realized that he was staring at a woman who was sitting at the foot of my bed. "Oh my fuckin' God," I gasped, yanking my blanket over my naked body. Who the fuck was this broad and how the fuck did she get in!?

"Who the hell are you!?" I demanded shrilly. The woman smirked at me and stood up. From what I could tell, she was much taller me _(then again, everyone was…)_ with ear-length lime green hair and the darkest eyes I've ever seen. Those things were pitch black. Her skin was tanned and she stood gracefully, her elaborate robe swaying around her.

"I see your concubine has finally awoken," She chuckled softly, hiding her smile behind her sleeve. I squinted at her and curled my upper-lip. "Concubine…did she…did she just call me a _prostitute_?" I turned to look at Gaara. He only nodded slowly, already knowing I was gonna go off.

"Okay, first off bitch, who the fuck do you think you are coming in here calling me names!? And second, who the fuck comes into someone's house and just sits on their bed and watches a person sleep?! What the kind of freak shit do you get in? And third, who the fuck are you and what do you want you freakish lime bitch!"

"Good choice of words, doll. I liked the excessive fucks you kept shoving in there…" Gaara wrapped his arm around my shoulder and patted my breast. I shot him a dirty look but leaned over the bed _(giving him a nice view of my ass)_ to snatch up my silk robe. I slid the flimsy little thing on and quickly got out of the bed. "Get dressed," I glared at him, throwing him his discarded clothes. The woman watched the two of us the entire and frowned when Gaara stood up fully clothed.

"My prince, you've been reduced to wearing those rags!" She exclaimed lightly, coming towards him to pull at his shirt. My left eye twitched and I was two seconds away from smacking the shit out of this bitch.

"Look here, bitch, you're gonna tell me who the fuck you are and what the hell you're doing in my house!"

She whirled around to face me. "She's like a little puppy that barks its little head off for attention," She noted primly. "That's it, bitch," I snapped, coming towards her with a glowing hand. "Xin, calm down," Gaara grabbed me by my shoulder and pulled me back to his embrace. The woman watched us with a stank eye, scowling lightly. "She's so vulgar…" She began to say. "Aoi, what the hell do you want?" Gaara glared at her.

"You really should address your mate more respectfully."

That sent warning signs off in my head. I slapped his hands away and turned to face him, ready to unleash hell on his ass. "Your mate? You have a mate already? What the fuck was that last night, what the fuck were you fucking me for if you have a mate already!?" I began to screech at him.

"I am gonna purify the shit out of you, ya two-timing horny ass pig…."

"She isn't my mate."

"But she…"

"She was a potential mate but she is not. I have my mate already."

Aoi scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Surely you don't mean this piece of trash. I smell your scent mingling in with hers but you haven't made the mistake of marking her yet." Aoi gave me a dirty look. That bitch just called me trash. I'm gonna kick her ass the minute I get a chance.

"Listen here you dick, I'm about two seconds away from pimp slapping the bitch out of you…"

Aoi's frown hardened at me. "Oh, really? You think you can actually defeat me?" She laughed out but I wouldn't back down. "I'm sure I could take your stupid looking ass down," I snorted at her, hands on my hips. I've known this chick for a mere five minutes of my life and I already hated the shit out of her.

"Trash."

"She-male."

"She-male!?"

"You have the body of a dude, bitch! You're as a flat as a board. Where are your hips? Your thighs? Your ass!?"

Gaara grabbed me by my hips, digging his fingers into my bruised skin and pulled me to his chest. He rested his chin on the top of my head and wrapped his arms around my breasts. I rolled my eyes, he really had a thing for my breasts. I had a thousand hickies covering my breasts thanks to him.

"Aoi. Your reason for being here."

"Oh, its simple. Your father requests your presence."

I frowned and wrapped my hands around his arm, not wanting him to leave. What if Sasori came after me again, the freak. He was gonna cut my ass open and drink my blood dry like some Dracula wannabe. I really didn't want to be left alone. And I didn't want to call Hinata and Naruto and have them come back here with me. They needed some alone time just like Gaara and me. Although I'm pretty sure they weren't boinking as we speak...

"When?"

"This moment."

I could only groan.

* * *

_TeeBeMe: Sorry for the delayed update. I've been busy with school and work, kind of hard trying to balance everything out. I had to hurry up and finish this chapter and I decided to let them have sex cuz' they loooove each other._

**Xin: So I'm a rape victim and Hinata's an abused victim. Nice.**

_TeeBeMe: Shut up. Oh my God, you guys. I've literally been listening to nothing but P!nk's new album, the truth about love. This album is amaaaaazing. My favorite song is Just give me a reason. If you guys like P!nk, you must check out her songs. I don't have time to write replies to the reviews of chapter nine, please forgive me!_

**Xin: Review pretty please with sugar on top!**


	11. I feel so empty and hollow

_TeeBeMe: UPDATEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Hi you guys! You ready for this update?! No? Well too bad, cuz' it's happening BITCHEEEES!_

**Xin: You can be strange sometimes**.

_TeeBeMe: Shut up; let's get this disclaimer going, yes? I don't have any rights or ownership to the Naruto franchise, except for the OCs that I've created. Thank you._

* * *

"I swear to baby Jesus, stop touching me!"

Gaara growled in my face for the umpteenth time as I shoved him away. I ignored his growl and glared at him, holding up a throw pillow in front of my body as a means of protection. "Why?" He snapped at me.

I rolled my eyes and jabbed my thumb behind us. "Oh, I dunno….maybe cuz' she's fuckin' stalking my life!?" I snapped hotly, my thumb motioning towards Aoi. It had been three days since she showed up saying Gaara's Dad wanted to see him. Gaara decided he'd go back whenever he felt like it and well….Aoi decided to make herself an unwanted house guest.

"Seriously, bitch, why are you still here?!" I gave her a blank look. Aoi scowled at me and crossed her arms. She bent at her waist and leaned down, shoving her fuckin' face into mine. I squinted at her but didn't move away. "I just don't understand…" Aoi mumbled more to herself than to me or him.

"My lord?" She suddenly backed off and looked down at Gaara. He leaned his head on to the couch and looked at her. "I don't understand why you chose this little pup as your mate. Has she cast a spell over you? Is that it? Has she bewitched you, my lord? We'll have it removed and then kill her for such a thing!" She started to rant.

I leaned over to him with a frown. "How many crazy ex girlfriends do you have?" I asked blankly. He frowned at me but then paused and looked thoughtful. "I'm almost certain she's the last crazy one," He told me after a moment. "Almost does not make me feel any better," I laughed and plucked his arm.

"Are you even paying me any attention!?" Aoi snapped, sticking her face between us. "To answer your question, ya nut; no I didn't cast a spell on him. I'm not a witch, I'm a miko. We can't cast love spells. He's in love with me. Deal with it, crazy." I sniffed out and rolled my eyes.

"Love is a strong word."

I glared at him and slapped him. Aoi watched us with keen eyes and huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Bitch, swerve." I huffed with a frown. Gaara sighed next to me. "I wonder where Naruto took your sister this time," He glanced at me thoughtfully. I titled my head to the side in thought.

Ever since they had come back three days to see Aoi and me arguing in my living room, they had stayed out of the apartment. Some support my sister was turning out to be. But I couldn't blame her. She was really falling for Naruto and they needed to spend some alone time with one another.

I was too busy deep in thought that I barely felt Gaara's hands inching towards the hemline of my ball shorts. I refused to have any sort of sex with his freak ex-girlfriend shoving her face in between us every five seconds.

"Quit touching me, dammit!"

* * *

Temari blankly wondered why her Father chose Aoi of all people to deliver a message to Gaara. And did he really think Gaara was going to come? Hell no. He was going to come when he felt like it. And seeing as how his feelings and Xin's feelings were finally admitted _(well, more like_ _Xin_ _admitted her feelings and Gaara well….Xin knew how he_ _felt...),_ he wasn't going to come right back.

"Don't think I've ever seen him this happy before," Kankuro commented, leaning over her shoulder to stare in the scene playing before them. The small human was lying on her couch on her stomach with Gaara lying on top of her. His arms were wrapped around her waist and his face was buried in her back. He looked completely content while Xin was sourly arguing with Aoi who was standing over them.

"I know. It almost seems unreal," Temari commented softly, tapping the water's surface so the image would fade away. "Dad has something planned," Kankuro's voice dropped to a lone tone, glancing around the room.

Temari's shoulders sagged sadly. "I hope it doesn't end tragically," She sighed heavily and brushed her fingers through her hair. "Perhaps we can put a stop to it before it gets that far," Kankuro answered. He really didn't want his little brother to lose the only girl who actually got through to him.

Sure, Xin was crazy. She certainly wasn't crazy like the other women Gaara had allowed into his bed. And that's all he ever did with those women. Go to bed with them. And then kick them out in the morning. But Xin? There was something about that little human that kept Gaara's attention.

"Oh…I forgot to mention…..Shikamaru is here for you."

"What do you mean you forgot!?"

* * *

"For the love of….do you ever shut the fuck up!? Like, for a second!?"

Xin nearly tore her hair out. She wasn't sure what the fuck Aoi had been saying for the past two hours, but it was starting to piss her the fuck off. She had a feeling it had something to do with Gaara.

Aoi scowled at her and placed her hands on her hips. "You're such a vulgar little woman! How could you even consider her to be your mate, my lord?" Aoi turned to Gaara with a softer frown. Xin placed one hand on her hip and cocked it to the side.

"Maybe cuz' I actually have some ass and tits."

"Such foul words!"

"Would you shut the fuck up already!?"

Gaara munched on his cookie, doing his best to ignore the bickering women. Why the fuck did Shigure send Aoi, of all people, to deliver a message to him? She wasn't on the same level of crazy like Emiko had been, but she was pretty damn crazy.

The door opened slowly and in peered Hinata and Naruto. Once the duo caught sight of the bickering women, they started to ease back out but Gaara caught them at the last second. "Oh hell no. Get back in here," He growled, grabbing the sleeve of Naruto and yanking the blond back in. Hinata let out a squeak and quickly followed Naruto back into the apartment.

"For fuck's sakes, why do we have to suffer through this?! She isn't supposed to be my mate," Naruto instantly began whining as soon as he heard the arguing. Gaara sighed heavily and massaged his forehead.

"Just watch her for a couple minutes," He grumbled, going back towards the bickering women. He grabbed Xin by her shoulder and spun her around. "Aoi, stay here." He ordered the demonic female. She pouted but nodded her head, heeding his order.

Although Aoi was a demon, he was pretty damn sure Xin could take her. Aoi was born into the high-society of the demon world. She grew up not learning how to properly fight and use her abilities because of the fact that she was taught someone was going to constantly protect her. She was a spoiled snob.

Xin was also born into high society but seeing as how she boxed damn there every day, was a miko and knew how to properly use a box and arrow…Aoi had no chance of beating Xin. Plus, Xin was pretty damn handy with a kitchen knife.

"Where are we going?" Xin demanded as Gaara shoved a jacket on her and dragged her out of the apartment building. "For a walk," He answered simply as Xin pulled her jacket over her body. "A walk?" She repeated with a confused face.

"Naruto takes your sister for walks frequently and she seems to enjoy them," Gaara shrugged, allowing Xin to wrap her arms around his arm. A grin suddenly stretched across her face. She tugged his arm, trying to get his attention.

"Aw, you're trying to be sweet?"

"Don't ruin it, doll. I'll take you back and leave you with Aoi."

Xin huffed in displeasure but didn't say anything else about him being sweet. He led her to the park and Xin briefly wondered how Gaara knew his way around the neighborhood but said nothing. It had been months since he's gotten to the human world, he's bound to find some things out on his own.

"Hey, Gaara?"

"Hnn?"

Xin rolled her lips together and dug her nails into his arm nervously. "When Aoi first came and was spouting out bullshit about being your mate….you said you already chose your mate. Me? Are you sure about that?"

Gaara frowned thoughtfully. "Why wouldn't I be sure about it?" He answered her question with a question. Xin sighed heavily and with her free hand, began to play with the end of her long braid.

"I dunno, I'm a human? I'm a miko? I'm on your Dad's hit list? I have way too many scars and insecurities due to my past?" She began to read off a list of things that were supposed to turn him off of her.

Gaara shook his head and stopped suddenly. She let out a whine when he yanked her back to him, causing her to fall against his chest. "You're fine to me. Perfect even. Stop doubting yourself, it's pissing me off." He growled down at her confused face.

"It's not my fault," She huffed, trying to pull away. She was doing it again. Trying to build her shield back up to protect herself from him. She was right, she had too many scars and insecurities from her past. She had an extremely difficult time trusting people.

But that wouldn't stop him.

"I'm not saying I don't want this to last, cuz' I do…." She began to say, but she suddenly let go and he knew her insecurities were coming back again. "But I just don't want empty promises and meaningless words. I don't want you take me as a mate and then get bored with me later on. Naruto said this mating thing was for life." She started to explain herself.

"I'm not a demon, I'm a miko. Are you alright with that? I have my insecurities. I have my quirks. I have my good qualities and I have my flaws. I'm a neat-freak and a health-nut. I box and when I'm stressed or worried, I smoke. I love baking and I don't like being told what to do. You're seriously fine with all that?"

Gaara snorted and rolled his eyes, working his hands around his waist. "I'm a demon Xin, I have my own things that haunt me. Nothing you can do will ever make me think you're a bad person or not worth anything."

A moment passed by and suddenly, she was smiling. "I believe you," She nodded firmly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But you know…you have to go see your Father," She said softly, her smile melting into a frown.

He instantly scowled at the mention of his Father. "Why the hell do I have to do that?" He barked down at her. She screwed her lips up instantly. "Don't yell at me, dammit! I'm just saying, you can't just ignore him! This whack-job has my life in his hands!"

Gaara only sighed. "Say it for me first."

Xin raised her eyebrows and chuckled softly to herself. He liked hearing her say those three words because they were the truth. She meant them. Not because he was a prince, not because he could kill her. Because that's how she truly felt.

"I love you."

* * *

Xin breathed heavily as she kicked and punched at the punching bag. It had been three days since Gaara and Aoi went back to the demon world to see his Father. She hadn't heard a damn thing from Gaara and it was making her nervous.

"So, it's decided then? Gaara wants you as a mate when he gets back?"

She paused and turned to look at Lee. He had been the one looking out for her ever since Hinata and Naruto started to go on more dates each day. Xin didn't mind too much. She didn't like being at the apartment by herself though.

She had been living by herself since she was eighteen. She had been fine for two years with just herself. But now, when she went back, it felt empty and wrong. Gaara wasn't there to touch her as she walked by, Naruto wasn't there to whine at her to make the delicious noodles and Hinata wasn't there to try to keep peace between them all.

She felt alone.

"That seems like the plan," She shrugged and quickly joined him in sitting down. "I love him. I just don't want to trap him. I keep asking him if he's really sure about all this and he insists that he is."

"You're adamant on being alone, that's your problem."

Xin was quite shocked when the words tumbled out of Lee's mouth. Never had she heard him speak like that. Lee was always the nice guy. The sweetheart. The one babbling on and on about youth and the youthfulness of spring time or some shit like that. For a moment, she felt like she was going to snap at Lee. But she thought better of it.

"Can you blame me?" She began softly. "Humans aren't like demons, you know. We don't have the same mind set," She told him, her voice never rising. "I just don't want to be hurt again, Lee. I don't. I don't want it. I don't want the sorrow, the heartache, and the questions. I don't want any of it."

Lee moved closer to her and wrapped a friendly arm around her shoulders. "Happiness is not something that just comes easily. You can't just wake up and have it in the palm of your hands," He started to explain to her.

"You have to work for it. You're going to have to fall down a couple of times. But it's up to you whether or not you wanna get back up. If you decide not to get up and it's not worth it, you don't deserve that happiness. But if you decide that 'one more time, it'll just take one more time. I can do it', then you deserve it."

Xin smiled and her tensed form slipped into a relaxed state. "I see what you're saying. I'm scared, I won't lie. But one more scar won't do any harm to me. I've already got enough for the books. What's one more?"

"Great! Now get your youthful ass in the ring and let's box! You're getting soft, human!"

* * *

Xin sang softly in the kitchen, eyes concentrated on the boiling pot of ramen. "Is it almost done?" Naruto bounced in place next to her. Instead of glaring at him, she laughed at his impatient question.

"Give it a couple minutes, knucklehead."

She playfully bonked him on the head and peered out into the living room. "Oi, did you do it yet?" She called to her sister. Hinata was in the living with a concentrated look on her face. Her hands were spread out in front of her, palm-up. In her hand was a light purple ball of energy.

"I have," She nodded slowly and Xin grinned. "What do you see then?" She asked in question. "I don't see colors. I see energy crackling around Naruto. But the energy around you is calm."

Xin smiled widely, so it was different for Hinata then? Two days ago, Kiyone began to teach the girls how to sense energy and decipher people by their aura. Shockingly, Xin had gotten the hang of it quite easily.

Unlike her sister, who saw the forms of everyone's aura, Xin saw colors. The color of a demon's aura was a dark red. The color of a human's aura was light blue and for mikos, it was pure white. She didn't know it was possible for each miko to see something different.

It had now been a week and two days since she last saw Gaara. It made her slightly nervous, but she found things to distract her. She cooked, cleaned, trained, boxed and sang to get her mind off of any worries that tried to invade her mind.

"_Hakuna Matata  
__What a wonderful phrase  
__Hakuna Matata  
__Ain't no passing craze  
__It means no worries  
__For the rest of our days…_

For the time being, Hinata and Naruto went on fewer dates to be around Xin. She insisted that they didn't need to put their lives on hold on her account, but they simply brushed her whining off.

"You girls sure are coming a long way. I never thought you'd get this far with your miko training." Naruto complimented them as Xin looked back at the ramen. It was finished so she quickly made Naruto a bowl and gave him Hinata's bowl to bring to her.

"I'm shocked too. I thought I would have already given up on it," She nodded her head with a small smile. She was glad that she hadn't though. If she was going to become Gaara's mate, she would need to a better way to protect herself than boxing. It was a good defense, but being a miko gave her that edge to put her on a demon's level. Being a miko, she could actually take these fuckers.

Hinata nodded with a smile as Xin and Naruto sat down on her sides with their bowls of ramen. "You know, Xin….Grandmother suggested we buy a bigger home for the four of us…" Hinata began to say, eyeing Xin out of the corner of her eye.

Xin mulled over it and shrugged. "Sounds good. We can all talk about it when Gaara gets back, yeah?" She suggested with another shrug. "Can we get a home with big rooms?" Naruto asked with excitement dancing in his eyes. Xin smiled at him and nodded. "Why the hell not?"

Things were starting to look up.

* * *

It had almost been a month and Gaara still hadn't returned from the demon realm. Xin carried on with her life but there would be days where she would stare aimlessly out of a window. It was nearing the end of October and that meant Halloween was coming up. Xin ran around her apartment, throwing Halloween decorations about. Xin loved Halloween time; it was always her favorite holiday to celebrate.

She sung along with the soundtrack to _the Nightmare before Christmas_ while she dug through one of her decoration boxes. She was just reaching for a bloodied skull at the bottom when she heard something shift behind her.

"Lee, if you eat anymore cookies, you are going to be one fat ass mothafucka…" She sighed heavily and turned around. She let out a surprised shout and pointed at the person standing across from her.

Gaara regarded her blankly from the other side of the room. Xin scowled and put the skull back in the box. "Well? You're gone for damn there a month and when you finally come back, you just stare at me?"

She hurried over to him with a huff. "Don't you have anything to fuckin' say? Am I speaking Russian or something?" She snapped at him, prodding at his chest. The little miko was caught completely off guard when he pulled her into a hug, crushing her to his chest and trapping her with his arms.

He kissed her forehead and tightened his grip around her. Xin tried to move away, but his superior strength halted her movements. "Would you say something already?" she snapped at him with a hardened scowl.

"I'm leaving again, doll."

The frown dropped to be replaced with a confused expression. "You're leaving? But you just got back! What did your Father say? When are you coming back?" She began to ask, tapping at him.

"….I'm not."

"..What?"

She backed up a little, looking extremely confused. "I don't get it. What are you talking about?" Xin shook her head. "It's simple, Xin. I can no longer reside here." He replied in a blank voice, empty eyes boring into lively eyes.

"So…you're leaving? Me? Why?"

"You won't understand, Xin."

"Don't touch me!"

Xin ripped herself away from him, looking away. Her body shook in anger and sadness. "You bastard! You lied! You were gonna protect me….and I was going to be your mate! But you lied!" She snapped at him, backing away. "I'm not shocked though," She let out a bitter laugh. "You're still just a man; you're like any human man. You got what you wanted and now it's time for you to roll out, huh?" She continued with a shake of her hand.

"Don't compare me to this filthy race," Gaara snapped at her. Xin only waved her hand off. "It is what it is," She spat at him, turning away from him. "Well, you came here to tie up loose ends. You can go now. Lord knows nothing is binding you to this shit-hole known as the human realm, right?"

"Xin…."

"Leave."

"Very well. You will not be bothered by the demonic realm again."

"Good."

Gaara watched her for any signs that she truly didn't want him to leave. But she kept her back to him and her breathing was calm. He reached out, gently grasping a strand of her hair. Nothing he could do could fix the damage done.

It was time to move on.

* * *

"What do you mean he left?"

Xin sighed heavily and stared at Naruto. "He left! Went back to the demon world, never to return again." She told him, reaching a gloved hand into the oven to grab the fresh tray of cookies. "Uh…Xin? You've made a lot of sweets…" Naruto said slowly, looking around her kitchen. Every surface in the kitchen was covered in plates of goodies. From brownies to cupcakes to cakes.

"Huh? No I haven't…." Xin mumbled, looking around to find a spot for her cookies. "Xin? You're excessively baking. Is it because Gaara left?" Hinata asked quietly, regarding her sister carefully.

"What? That's bullshit."

Hinata frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "This doesn't make any sense. Gaara loves you so why did he cut himself off?" Naruto mumbled more to himself. "He didn't love me, Naruto. He just liked my body and the fact that I wasn't letting him have his way. I was a game. I lost, he won. Time to move on to the next one," Xin shrugged blandly, eating a cookie.

"Have you lost your fuckin' mind, woman?!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, grabbing her by the shoulders. "You were going to be his mate! Of all the women he's encountered in his life, he chose you!" He snapped, shaking her comically.

Xin suddenly slapped his hands away from her. "It doesn't matter anymore, Naruto. He chose to leave, okay?" She growled, turning away from him. "You didn't even attempt to stop him."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. She whipped around to face him, ignoring her sister's nervous expression. "And exactly what was I suppose to do? Drop to the floor and degrade myself by begging him not to leave me?" Xin scoffed bitterly. "And what good would that have done? He would've left either way, thinking I'm just some weak little girl that's afraid to be alone!"

"You are afraid!"

Her hand shot out, grasping the front of his black shirt. She yanked him down closer to her face. "You listen here, you giant oaf. He left me. It's true that I loved him, sure. But he ruined it all. I'm not afraid to be alone. I was alone before he crash-landed into my life and I was fine. I'll be damned if I let that demon run my life. I was fine before and I'm fine now."

Xin let go, turning away again. "You guys should leave," She said softly, starting to clean her kitchen up. "Leave?" Hinata asked slowly, coming to touch her sister's shoulder. "Yeah, you guys should start living back at your apartment. There's more privacy there," Xin ducked out from Hinata's touch.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

Hinata sighed heavily. Xin was becoming difficult, a sign of her inner frustration. "Quit worrying. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," Xin snorted and offered her a forced smile.

"And take some of these sweet, would ya?"

**3 months later**

Xin groaned as she finally slipped into her apartment. She had just turned twenty-one last month but she already felt so old. The cold weather was already chilling her to the bones. She was getting sick and tired of winter time. She shed her outer clothes off and kicked her shoes off. "Dumbass punks," She mumbled to herself, unbraiding her hair. Sometime during November, she decided to be a trainer at the gym. The little woman was bored with whooping all of the regulars.

Jerry had given her a bunch of hormonally-crazed fifteen year olds. Dressed in her usual ball shorts and sports bra, the boys ogled the living hell out of her. All of the regulars had already known that the pint-sized female did not liked being ogled at and disrespected.

So, she kicked all of their asses.

Xin smiled evilly to herself while going to the bathroom for a quick shower. She still couldn't get their surprised faces out of her mind as she stood over them, bitching them out for being so damn disrespectful.

Stepping out of the shower, she twisted her sopping wet hair into a knot and slid a short robe over her body. The small woman left her bathroom and hurried to the kitchen. She was going to have a quick dinner and then she'd be off to bed.

"Shouldn't you greet a guest, miko?"

Xin spun around, hands curled into fists. Her eyes roved over her apartment and stopped suddenly. Standing at the window that she hadn't gone near in three months stood a figure bathed in the moonlight.

Sasori.

"Oh hell no."

She stared at the demon, eyes hardening over. "Are you fuckin' kidding me right now? What the fuck are you doing here? Your bastard of a Prince said this shit wouldn't happen. You freaks were gonna stop bothering me!"

Sasori snorted and folded his hands into his sleeves. "Did you really believe the demon world would forget you simply because our Prince did?" He sneered at her, watching for any twitches on her face. He thought for sure that mentioning the Prince leaving her would tic her off, but she didn't even bat an eyelash.

A strong woman.

"It's not my fault your whack-job of a King sent his unreliable son to carry out a job that was so stupid, it didn't make sense." She hissed at him, folding her arms across her chest. "Watch what you say, miko." Sasori snapped at her.

"Are you gonna make me?"

Sasori rolled his eyes. "I'm not here for games, miko." He told her in a serious tone. Xin stared him down. "Why are you here then?" She rolled her eyes with a sigh, noticing just how short her robe was.

He dug deeper into his robes and produced a vial of clear blue liquid. "Drink this," He told her, holding it up to her. "The fuck is it?" She quirked an eyebrow as he moved closer. "Your ability to curse is amazing. It's a liquid that will temporarily shut your mind down."

"And why exactly would I drink that?"

"How else will I get you through the portal without permanently damaging your brain?"

Xin regarded him blankly. "I'm not going to the demon world. I'm not drinking that." She told him, folding her arms across her chest with a scowl. "Shigure-Sama has requested your presence, so you will come along. Willingly or by force, I do not care."

"By force? Are you threatening me?" Xin raised her eyebrows and cocked her head back. Sasori smirked at her and cracked his fingers loudly. "Take it any way you see fit," He advised her with a smirk.

Xin's hands started to glow.

* * *

Sasori scowled in annoyance as he stepped out of the portal, carrying that damn miko over his shoulder. She may have been small but looks sure as hell were deceiving. Xin had put up a good fight and if he hadn't been able to trip her and then pin her, she probably would have successfully terminated him.

He was riddled with bruises courtesy of her and he even suffered a long bleeding slice on his cheek from her. Sasori wasn't sure how she managed to dash to her kitchen to get that butcher knife, but she managed it well.

His grip tightened on pale thighs and he began to trek further into the kingdom. He would get the miko a change of clothes, meet with his King and then most likely bring her to him. He handed her to a servant and ordered that they find something for her to wear. They didn't need an appealing human running around with a flimsy robe on. She may have been a human miko, but that would not stop other demons from staring at her.

Shigure glanced at Sasori as he trekked into the throne room with interest. He swirled the sake in his cup around lazily and motioned for Sasori raise up from his bowing. "So you've returned. Did you bring the woman?"

"I have. She is being prepared."

"I see…and what happened to your face?"

"She would not go so easily."

Shigure snorted and rested his face on his fist. "You mean to tell me a little human girl was able to bruise and cut you? Why haven't they healed?" Shigure frowned, looking at the slice on Sassari's check.

"Did your son not tell you the woman was a miko?"

Shigure suddenly seemed interested. "Is that so? A miko? I was not aware of her background…" He trailed off thoughtfully. Suddenly, he had a new interest in the infamous woman.

"Change of plans…"

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

I woke up with stiff muscles and I didn't want to open my eyes. I knew where I was but I didn't want to accept the truth of it. With a heavy sigh, I slowly opened my eyes and discovered that I was in a small room on a little cot.

My robe had been discarded and was replaced with different clothing. I was wearing a blood red halter top that tied around my neck and left my entire back out. I'm not really sure how to describe the pants though. They were the same color but they resembled genie pants. Tight up top but ballooned out towards the bottom.

I tried to think of all the reasons I've been brought to the demon world but nothing came up. Sasori mentioned the King wanted to speak to me but I don't know why. I didn't give a fuck either. I've had enough of these people.

The door suddenly opened and I was staring at Temari. I hadn't seen her in a long time and I suddenly felt relieved that she had come in before anyone else had. "So, it was your scent that I smelled…" She said quietly. I shrugged blandly and brushed my tangled hair out of my face.

"Red looks good on you."

I let out a dry snort and rolled my eyes. "Any idea why I'm here?" I asked blandly, wondering if I could plan an escape. Temari looked at me in confusion. "For my brother, right?"

"Ha! Why the fuck would I be here for him?!" I laughed bitterly. "Because you love him?" She asked slowly, clearly confused. "Whatever," I mumbled sourly, looking away. Temari frowned and folded her arms across her chest.

"I don't understand Xin. You loved him, he felt the same way. But he left and you didn't even bother to stop him. You continued on with your life as if he never met you and had an affect on you. Why?"

I looked back at her, into her confused face. I was tired of everyone trying to pin the blame on me. I had done nothing wrong. He left me alone. It was his choice. He could've stayed with me but decided not to.

"I chose to be happy."

* * *

"I'm capable of walking!"

Sasori ignored Xin's struggles as he ventured down the hall with her slung over his shoulder. "You'll take the chance to run, miko. I'm not stupid." He snorted, shifting his hands. "Oh please. This is the perfect opportunity to feel me up, you pervert." Xin snorted with a blank expression.

Smirking, he slid his hand up the backs of her thighs and squeezed. She let out a surprised yelp and then growled. "I fuckin' hate you with all the hatred in the world. All worlds." She seethed from over his shoulder.

Sasori simply continued to smirk as he entered the throne room, throwing Xin down. She let out a hiss and pushed herself to her knees, looking around the large room. Her eyes froze once she noticed Shigure sitting in his large throne.

"Dude, you ever hear of a dust buster?"

Shigure leaned forward and eyed the girl. "Do you know who I am, girl?" He asked slowly, watching for any signs. Xin sighed and brushed tangled hair behind her shoulder. "Yeah, you're the whack-job king I've heard _oh_ so much about. I'm Xin, by the way."

The demon king scowled at her and leaned back into his chair. "Such a small human. You're sure she is a miko?" Shigure looked behind her to stare at Sasori. "Um, hello?! Do you not see what I did to his fuckin' face? I'm a fuckin miko!" Xin huffed, waving her hand in the air like a crazy person.

Shigure regarded her carefully. "Stand up, girl." He ordered her. Xin scowled harshly and suddenly jumped to her feet. "Let's set something straight, alright?" She began to cross the large throne room, ignoring the interested looks she was getting from Sasori.

"If you think for a second that I'm actually gonna bow down to you and do what you want, you've got another fuckin' thing coming, bucko. I wasn't scared when both your bastards' sons were trying to kill me and when you sent your fuckin assassins after me so I'm not scared now," Xin snapped at him, climbing up the stairs to his throne.

Shigure's eyes narrowed as Xin stood above him. "By the time I'm finished with you, you'll wish I killed you off like my original plan, girl." He spat at her, more annoyed than interested now in the small human.

"Fuck you, ya crazy mothafucka."

Sasori's fingers caught the back of her clothes, jerking her away suddenly. "Know your place, miko." He reminded her with a slight bark to his tone. "Fuck off," She hissed back, struggling to get out of his hold. "Enough. You're here for a reason, miko." Shigure snapped down at her. She instantly stopped struggling and scowled at him. Shigure waved his hand and the doors banged open once more.

A quivering demon was ushered in the room roughly. Xin watched quietly as the demon struggled to stop shaking. "This demon has recently been severely incompetent. Show me your worth and exterminate him."

Xin looked extremely confused, her face twisting up. "Did you seriously just order me to kill some random person? He looks like he's about to have an anxiety attack. I'm not purifying him. He hasn't done anything to me."

Shigure snorted and placed his cheek on his knuckle. "Then you will die if you do not show your worth," He shrugged at her, ignoring her angered expression. "This isn't fair, ya whack-job!"

She suddenly felt an itch at the back of her neck. She gritted her teeth and suddenly ducked down, narrowly missing being kicked in the back of the head by Sasori. She dropped into a crouch and swept her leg back, trying to trip up the attacking demon.

He dodged it and swung his leg out again and she curled into a ball and rolled out of the way. She scrambled to her feet with a growl. "I'm gonna dance on your fuckin' grave," She spat at the redhead. Sasori let out a dry laugh and surged forward, snatching his claws out to claw her throat out. Xin expertly dodged to the side and reached forward, catching the demon by his wrist. Her hand started to glow brightly and the smell of burning flesh began to emit from Sasori.

He let out a hiss and jerked his hand away from her. He held his burning wrist and gave her a dirty look. Xin smirked at him and flipped him off. Sasori rushed her again but Xin's reactions were as quick as a demon's. She dodged his attack and lifted her leg, her foot glowing a vibrant purple.

"Enough."

Sasori caught Xin's calf in his hand. "That was impressive for a human," Shigure hummed, watching as the two fighters glared at one another. Sasori slowly let go and Xin's leg instantly came down. "So you're capable of killing." Shigure began to say, watching as Xin's face turned red. "No the fuck I'm not you nut-job!" She spat at him, fingers beginning to glow brightly in her anger and annoyance.

"You wanted to kill Sasori when he attacked you, did you not?"

"You're damn skippy I wanted to kill him."

"So, you are capable of killing."

Xin placed her hands on her hips and shook her head, tsking at the demon king. "You crazy ass demons go around claiming the human race are savages beneath your feet. But c'mon, I think you freaks of nature have it twisted. Sure, I wanted to kill him. Can ya blame me? This bastard fucked my peaceful shit up too many times, it's crazy." Xin began her explanation.

"But….that doesn't mean I will kill him. I, unlike you damned souls, have morals. I'll be damned if I stoop to your level and actually kill someone. I use my priestess heritage as a means of protection and that's it. The most I'll do is kick someone's ass. That's it. I'm boxer. We have _morals_. I'm a Hyuuga, we have _honor_."

Shigure regarded the little miko for several minutes. "My lord," Sasori stated, suddenly holding a dagger to Xin's throat. She instantly scowled, sucked her teeth and inched backwards. "Someone always brings a knife to a skin fight…"

"I believe her usefulness has expired. Shall I dispose of her?" He asked calmly, eyes trained on her. "Oh, you can try, you fucker…" She hissed quietly. "Quiet," Sasori snapped at her. Shigure sighed and grabbed the golden goblet, holding it out to be refilled. He sloshed the red liquid in the goblet, watching it wash against the edges of the goblet. A moment later, he looked down at that small human. What was it about that disgusting piece of trash that seemed to interest any demon?

She held his stare, hands on her hips. Light lavenders eyes held his glare. Everything about her screamed determination and a strong will. Shigure felt a throb of hatred ring through his chest.

He wanted to break her.

"No. Lock her back up. She will be dealt with."

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

This fuckin' bastard had the audacity to lock my ass in the dirtiest cell he could find. I swear to Jesus, these demonic rats are gonna end up eating my fuckin face. These fuckers were mutated as shit, they had to be. I was confined to a dark cell. In the low-light, the walls glistened with an unknown but slimy substance. The floor was bumpy and uncomfortable and also had wet feeling to it that made me constantly shift.

It was fuckin cold and just…not a fun time for me. I'm not really sure how long I've been in here, but I'm guessing maybe three days from the amount of food they've given me. No one but the guards came to my cell, I'm not sure why.

Didn't matter though. I'm about to get the fuck up outta here.

From what I could see, the guards changed shifts every three hours. This guard was already an hour into it, so I had two hours to pull this off and make a run for it. Thank God only one guard worked at a time.

I hurried to a corner of the cell and crouched down, placing my hands over my head. Taking a deep breathe, I counted down to one. Once I finished counting, I opened my mouth and let out a loud ass screech. Just like I knew he would, the guard came charging to my cell. He shouted something I couldn't understand in his stupid language and then growled. The jingle of his keys almost made me giggle in excitement, but I held it in.

He hurried over me, standing above my hunched up form. He snapped at me in his language and started to lean closer. That's when I took my chance. I pumped energy in my elbow and suddenly surged up backwards to slam my elbow in his face.

He let out a cry as I fell backwards on top of him. I turned around and quickly punched the living fuck out of him just in case. When I saw that the guard was clearly knocked the fuck out, I ran for it.

I bolted down the dark hallway and up the staircase, coming to another hallway. I paused and tried to remember which way to take from when Sasori dragged my ass kicking and screaming down the hall.

I calmed my breathing down and eased down the hall, keeping a look out for any means of escape. I soon found one in a window that was low to the ground. As quietly as I could, I slid the window open and scrambled to the sill. I looked out of the window and towards the city. The blast of sudden heat surged towards me and I almost choked on it. I kept forgetting about Suna being in the middle of a fuckin' desert. I'm gonna get sunburned like a bitch.

Pushing that aside, I jumped out of the window.

_End P.O.V_

* * *

Kankuro was just coming out of the manor into the courtyard. Today, he was going to find his idiot brother. He didn't care how much he claimed he didn't care about that woman, he should know their Father kidnapped her and had her locked up underneath the manor.

He knew there were two places his brother was probably at. He was either outside of the village training or visiting that girl who had the massive crush on him. What was her name again? Matsuri?

Kankuro chuckled lightly to himself. He wondered how Matsuri would react to Xin being here in the demon world. By now, everyone knew the little human's name. She was quite famous….or infamous. Not just any human could seduce the youngest Prince.

Just as he was on the last step, a blur darted in front of him from the shadows. Kankuro reeled back in surprised and quickly trained his eyes on the blur. Just what the hell was that? Kankuro almost let out a bark of laughter when he realized it was actually Xin darting across the courtyard. There was no doubt about it. No one else in the entire village had pale skin and dark hair like that.

The question was…_how_ the fuck did she manage to get out from underground? And where the hell was she _going_?

Kankuro watched in amusement as she vanished into the city. This girl was full of surprises. He wheeled around and began climbing the stairs back into the manor. His brother could wait.

He needed to find Temari.

* * *

"What do you mean she's gone!?"

Temari and Kankuro stood off to the side, trying their best to hide their smirks and grins. Xin had been missing for an entire day already. A guard had finally realized the little human had made an escape and another guard had been in her cell with a burn and a bruise on his face.

Kankuro had informed his sister yesterday about Xin's daring escape. Temari had gone to her basin to check on the woman. By the time they found her, Xin had acquired a hooded robe and had it pulled over her head to conceal her pale skin and dark hair. The girl must have realized that wearing a hood in the sandy city was not unusual and used it as an excuse to hide her identity.

"We should have just killed her when we had the chance. She may not look like it but she's a crafty and sly fox," Sasori shook his head, ignoring the glares from Temari and Kankuro. Shigure grumbled to himself and massaged his temples. "It cannot be difficult to relocate and capture this damn human. I want her back here by nightfall, do you understand?" Shigure growled at the guards and Sasori. Blankly, they all nodded.

"Except for you," Shigure glared at the burned and bruised guard. The guard instantly paled. "You will be killed for your incompetence," Shigure's glare intense. "Now, all of you. Get out of my sight and don't return unless you have that damn woman!

Things were getting ugly…

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

I somehow managed to find a small inn to stay at. The owner's daughter, Matsuri, was really friendly to me. She asked me why I insisted on keeping my hood on a lot. I wasn't stupid enough to tell her the truth. So, I made up some half-assed lie about having a nasty burn on my face that embarrassed me.

Physically, she looked like she was about eighteen or nineteen. She sure as hell was naïve with her big trustful brown puppy dog eyes. I felt a little bad for lying to her like this but I couldn't trust any of these people.

I don't know how many days have gone by but I was sitting in the front room peering out of the window when I saw something that almost made me squeal. A flash of pink. I only knew one person with short pink hair like that.

Jumping up, I ran outside to catch up with the pink haired demon. "Sakura!" I shouted after, weaving through people. The demon turned around and spotted me but frowned in confusion. I nearly slammed into her but stopped just in time.

Her nose twitched but her frown remained. She leaned closer and sniffed again. "Xin? Is that you?" She raised her pink eyebrows; the person next to her shifted and folded his arms across his chest. I pulled my hood back a little back to reveal my lavender eyes. "What in the world are you doing here!?" She threw her arms around me and pulled me into a hug. I laughed awkwardly and hugged her back. "It's a long story…"

I pulled back and looked at her companion. He was giving me an odd look. He was tall and pale like me but he had black eyes with black hair that was spiked up, like a bird's ass or something. "You…you're in hiding, aren't you?" He asked me in a deep voice that unsettled me. Sakura's jade eyes almost popped out of her pretty little head. "Why would you assume that?" I asked slowly with a frown.

"You're out of place. Your body language. How secure your cloak is on you," He shrugged one shoulder, an attempt to seem cool, I'm sure. I shifted unconsciously and glanced around before looking back at him. Sakura frowned in confusion, watching the two of us glare at each other.

"I don't think it's any of your business if I'm hiding or not." I huffed finally with a hand on my hip. "I don't even know who the hell you are," I reminded him while rolling my eyes. "You're the one making it obvious you're in hiding," He shot back snidely. His high and mighty attitude was starting to irk my face. "Look here, you bird head having ass," I started to say, pointing in his face.

"Hey, hey. You guys, no need to fight. We're friends, okay?" Sakura quickly got in between the two of us. "Xin, this is my friend Sasuke. Sasuke-kun, this is Xin," Sakura tried to calm everything down.

"So you're the famous Sasuke Naruto spoke about."

"Nothing good to say, I assume."

"Not at all. Apparently you're a dick."

"He said that?"

"He calls you Sasuke-teme…"

Sakura shook her head, her frown settling again. "We're getting off topic! Xin, are you really in hiding?" She lowered her voice just in case. I sighed heavily and tightened my hood around me.

"Come to my room, I'll tell you all about."

* * *

Matsuri let out a long breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She'd been on her way home from seeing how Gaara was doing outside of the village when she stumbled on an odd sight. That mysterious girl in the hood who had refused to give up a proper name had been talking with two well known demons from Konoha. Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke were good friends with the Sand siblings and often came to visit them. But Matsuri had never seen them interact with anyone else in Suna.

She was about to greet the duo and inquire what was going on when something caught her ears. "You…you're in hiding, aren't you?" Sasuke had asked the smaller woman. The unknown person instantly became sour and it almost seemed as if they were about to go at it when Sakura interfered and introduced them.

Xin. That name sounded so familiar.

And those eyes. Big and lavender.

Matsuri's eyes widened and she slapped her hand over her mouth to silence the gasp that was about to break through. Hyuuga Xin, a descendent from the clan of mikos that immigrated to the Human realm from Konoha. The miko who had seduced the Prince and held him captive for months in the human world.

Her family was housing a criminal!

She was going to have to alert the King or Gaara. Wait, she couldn't tell Gaara. Surely telling him that the woman who nearly ruined his life was in Suna would bring up bad memories for the poor Prince.

Just what the hell was she doing in the demon world?

Did she think she was going to take Gaara back with her to human world? Is that why she's here? It would make sense seeing as how she's in disguise. If that weak little harlot thought that she was going to take the Prince that easily, she had another thing coming!

She had to do something!

* * *

"Hinata, I think you might be overreacting. I'm sure Xinny is fine. She's probably scrubbing her house down as we speak…" Naruto sighed as he ambled behind the little woman. Tenten and Neji followed with frowns.

"You don't understand, Naruto. Something feels off. I haven't heard from my sister in days," Hinata shook her head firmly as she led them all to her sister's apartment complex. "Hinata is right, Naruto. Xin has a habit of calling her every other day to make sure she's alright and to tell her to come over and take some sweets that she's baked," Neji nodded towards his cousin.

"She's been like that ever since they moved out at eighteen," Tenten added as the climbed the stairs to the top. "I know something is wrong. It has to be. It's been nearly a week since I've spoken to her." Hinata sighed heavily and dug into her pocket for her ring of keys. Unlocking the apartment door, she quickly went in and nearly fainted.

She knew it. She knew it from the start. Xin's apartment looked like a tornado had hit. Everything was either knocked over on the floor or broken into pieces. Hinata even spotted a splatter of blood on the wall.

"Oh…" Tenten held her hand over her mouth as they surveyed the room. "I knew it, I knew something was wrong." Hinata began shaking her head. She whipped around to face Naruto and Neji, already knowing they could detect people's scent.

"Well? Who was it? Who took my sister?"

"….Sasori…."

"Oh my God. Oh my God, she's probably dead. Oh my God, he probably raped her. Raped her and then killed her slowly," Hinata began a stuttering mess. "Hinata, calm down," Naruto ordered, trapping her in a comforting hug.

"It's okay, Hinata. I'll just go to the demon realm and get her back."

Hinata shook her head.

"I'm going with you."

* * *

Matsuri sighed in relief as she finally found Gaara. "It's like every day you move to a new location," She said to him, collapsing on a large rock. Gaara shrugged blandly. "It's difficult for my Father to locate me and bring me back to the kingdom if I constantly move," He replied smoothly, whipping sand through the air.

"Makes sense. Ah…Gaara? I have a question."

"Hn…?"

"That….woman. That 'Xin' woman?"

Matsuri watched quietly as his body visibly tensed up and his hands clenched uncomfortably. Ever since Gaara returned from being trapped by the awful woman, he didn't like to talk about it. Whenever someone had asked a question, he'd snap at them angrily or he'd just shrugged as if he didn't know the answer. The only thing known about the woman was her name and that she was a small little thing capable of taking down a man way larger than her.

"What about her?"

Matsuri played with a lock of her short hair in a shy and nervous manner. Gaara felt like rolling his eyes. He had tried to get his mind off of that damn miko. Whenever he looked at another woman, he'd instantly compared them to _her_.

Like now. The miko had never played with her hair nervously or shyly if she had a question to ask. She'd squared her shoulders, narrow those gorgeous light eyes and just bark out her question.

And then he'd remind himself that he left her for a reason. And that she hadn't even bothered to hear the reason. She instantly assumed something and snapped at him, shrugging him off coldly as if she didn't love him.

Because she really didn't.

That woman had only been using him to fill up the void in her. She was a hollow being before he came along to make her feel whole again. She'd probably never admit it, but she was a lonely and closed off person. Pissed at the world and any man because she had been done wrong twice before.

He was just a replacement to a replacement. And soon, she'd find another.

And he hated her for that. She had tricked him with her sweet smiles, her bell-like laughter. She had lied to him, claiming she loved him. She had deceived him with soft hugs and sweet kisses.

He loved her.

Gaara would probably never admit it out loud. Not even if Naruto or Lee or hell, Matsuri asked him. He didn't care what type of argument they'd put up. Never would the words _'yes, I loved her'_ come from him.

He hated her at the same time.

"Do you still care for her?" Matsuri suddenly broke him from his inner-angst with her question. Did he still care for her, she asked. Why the hell did it matter to Matsuri who cared to him? It didn't _matter_ if he still cared for her.

"No. I burned any bridges I had in the human world when I returned."

Lie.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Another lie.

"So, if she were to suddenly appear in Suna, it would have no affect on you?" She asked with raised eyebrows. But he didn't blink or falter. He simply continued to blankly stare at the young brunette.

"It wouldn't matter if she were here in front of me."

Definite lie.

* * *

"So, you're a wanted fugitive."

Xin sighed heavily and flipped her hair over her shoulder. Locked away in her room, she took off her disguise to reveal her familiar face to Sakura and Sasuke. "If that's what you'd like to call me, sure." Xin shrugged at Sasuke and peeked out of the window.

"Don't you think that by escaping, Shigure will just kill you if he captures you again?" Sasuke raised his eyebrows as Xin combed through her hair with her fingers. "Most likely," Xin dropped her hand and moved away from the window. "Eventually he'll probably kill me. Might as well make it worth it, right?"

"You've made quite a strange friend, Sakura." Sasuke turned to look at the pink haired woman. Xin rolled her eyes and plopped down next to Sakura. "Xin, why don't you just find Gaara?" Sakura asked slowly, looking at the pale woman.

Xin's face paled drastically. She threw herself backwards on the bed, her hair sprawling around her head. "Now, why the fuck would I do that? He's the reason I'm here in the first place. I don't need his help. Look how far I've come."

"Xin…you're a wanted fugitive in hiding."

"Yes, but I escaped all on my own. Not to shabby for a 'weak human', right?"

"Well….I suppose."

Xin rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself up. "You guys should get going. It's getting late. Didn't you say you were here to visit that Chiyo lady? She's probably wondering where you guys are," Xin reminded Sakura, flipping her hair onto her back.

"Ah! Damn, I almost forgot. You're right. We'll be taking our leave now but we'll come back, alright?" Sakura jumped up. "Don't get into a trouble, okay?" Sakura patted Xin's shoulder. The human let an out a dry laugh but nodded.

"I'll see you soon."

* * *

Xin pulled her hood over her head and headed to the roof of the inn. "I've gotten this far without that bastard's help. All I need to do is find someone would can whip me up a portal to the human realm and I'm good," Xin mumbled to herself as she stepped into the desert night.

She was surprised to see another person there already. Turning around, she was going to head back to her room when the person called out to her. "It's alright. You don't have to go back in. Come here for a moment," The person beckoned Xin over.

The little miko eyed the other person before carefully coming towards them. The person was a little taller than her with shoulder length sandy blond hair and eyes that looked blue-greenish to Xin, if that made any sense. She wore a long robe with a scarf around her neck.

Xin's grip tightened as she neared the woman, making sure her hood was secured before stopping next to her. The woman simply smiled at Xin, which unsettled her. "You aren't from the village, are you?" The stranger asked kindly. "Uh…no. I'm from….Konoha," Xin replied quickly. It wasn't a complete lie. Her ancestors were from Konoha, so that had to count for something, right? The woman's smile stood in place as she leaned against the iron gate.

"I can tell. Your hands are very pale," She motioned to Xin's pale hands, the only body part that was visible to people. "You think so?" Xin looked down at her hands in question. "Yes, the only person in this entire village who has pale skin is the youngest Prince. You're much paler than he is, I believe," The woman continued, catching Xin's shoulders tense up.

"If you don't want people to believe you to be a suspicious person, you should relax your body more. You're very tense and you move around very quickly. And you constantly peek over your shoulder, even when you're completely alone," Blondie continued suddenly, catching Xin off guard.

"Are you stalking me?"

"Of course not. I observe a lot of people. It's the _only_ thing I can do. In fact, I'm surprised you can see me. You _can see _me, yes?"

"Well yeah. If I couldn't see you…I'd be talking to myself right now. You're not a figment of my imagination, are you?"

"I would certainly hope not."

"Nah, you talk too proper to be from my imagination."

The older woman laughed and shook her head. Xin rubbed the back of her head and sighed heavily. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" She suddenly asked the strange lady. The blond titled her head to the side and shrugged. "I suppose."

"Have you ever….been stuck at some point in your life. Like….you're not sure what you should do next? But you know you have to do something?" She started to play with the edges of her robe, twisting it between her fingers. The woman mulled over her thoughts. "Yes. I did once. It involved a man that I loved. Well, I suppose I loved him," She replied, getting a strange look in her eyes. "What did you do?" Xin asked carefully.

"I let someone else make that choice for me."

Xin frowned and tilted her head. "And what happened?" She prompted for the mysterious lady to go on. "Well, I got three children that I hold closely to my heart…but…..it ended badly. I haven't seen or even spoken to them in years. I miss them all dearly. Perhaps if I made my own decision and followed my heart, things would have been different."

Xin hummed out, nodding her head. "Are you having troubles with a boy?" The woman asked with a knowing smile that Xin simply brushed off. "I haven't talked to that 'boy' in three months. I was happy too."

"Were you?"

"Of course! Before he crashed landed and fucked up my life, everything was fine. And then he came along and ruined everything. The bastard made me fall in love with him and I trusted him…" Xin didn't know why, but she began to rant. "I trusted him because he said I could. Said he'd protect me or whatever the fuck. But he lied. Just like the rest of them. Ripped my heart out and stomped it to pieces. And…everyone….for the love of _fuckin'_ _Christ_, everyone is trying to make it seem like it was my fault that he left."

The woman remained silent, simply allowing the younger girl to rant and rave. She had a feeling the miko had bottled all of this up inside her for three months. She probably put on a strong front and acted like nothing affected her.

"And now…now….I'm _dragged_ to this _God_-_forsaken _place to be used as some bastard's toy. And of course, everyone is just pissing rainbows out with the idea that I'm going to degrade myself and find that bastard who started all of this shit. Like I need anymore of his so called 'help'! Hell no. I can take care of myself! I don't need him, I don't!"

The woman watched as Xin breathed heavily. She wouldn't admit it, but Xin felt so much better now that she's let all of that go. At least it was to some stranger who probably had no idea who she was.

"You don't believe all of that and you know it…"

Xin stared at the woman with wide eyes. "And just how do you know what I mean and what I don't mean? You don't know me. You're just some stranger," She reminded the woman with a slight hiss.

"Stranger, yes. But fool? No. You love this 'boy' and you know it. That's why you're so angry and you refuse to go find him. He broke your heart and left you, so he should come to you, right? Why would you make yourself appear weak and vulnerable by seeking him out? You won't. You want him to come to you and ask for forgiveness."

"You're damn straight he should come to me! I'm not doing anything wrong!"

"You're being spiteful."

Xin let out a frustrated noise and turned her head away. This was so pointless and wasn't going anywhere. It was just making her annoyed. In fact, what the hell was she still doing out there anyway?

"Before you go," The woman stopped her as she turned away. "May I ask you of a favor?" She offered Xin a kind smile. Xin paused and flexed her fingers and then sighed. "If it won't get me killed…"

"If you should ever come into contact with the King and his children…"

"I probably will, knowing my piece of shit luck."

"Could you tell them I said hello and I hope they're making the right choices?"

"Ah, sure. What's your name?"

"Karura."

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

Matsuri starting to act strange around me the next couple of days. I don't know what I did to her but she acted really nervous. She always had this strange look on her face, like she knew something was up.

But what could she know? She was just some random inn keeper's daughter. No one important. No ties to that damn Kingdom, right? Probably not. But I did learn she had some major crush on the bastard who shall not be named. Just like every other teenage girl in Suna, she was in 'love' with that bastard.

"Excuse me?"

Ah, speak of the devil. I turned from the window to look at Matsuri, making sure my hood was still hiding my face and my body was hidden underneath the cloak.

"Yes?"

"May I ask you a question, Akina-San?" She asked shyly, coming to sit in the chair next to me. Akina. That's what I was going by at the moment. It felt strange for people to actually call me a different name. I couldn't go around telling these people my name. They actually knew Xin.

I nodded slowly and leaned closer to her but kept a firm grip on my cloak. A weird glint glimmered in her eye and I suddenly felt an uncomfortable pull in my stomach.

"Have you seen Prince Gaara lately around the village?" She asked with a smile, folding her hands in her lap. From the darkness of my hood, I stared at her with wide eyes. Now, why the fuck was she asking me about him?

"That's the youngest one, correct? I haven't seen him." I shook my head slowly and tapped my finger against the arm of the chair. "He's such a handsome man, you know? All the women adore him in this village," Matsuri began to say.

"But recently, something terrible happened to him…" She suddenly sighed heavily. "He was sent to the human world, to destroy it. You know, because humans are disgusting pieces of trash. And he was going to kill them all, but one female wedged herself between him and his goal…

I heard that she's this beautiful miko. Pretty face, long silky hair….beautiful lavender eyes and a curvaceous body. She must have known what she was a capable because she trapped the poor Prince in her disgusting world for almost a year! A year! Can you believe that? She must be a miko who uses dark magic, that harlot."

I felt like strangling this little twerp. She must have been telling me this because of gossip, I'm sure just everyone knew the story about the demon and the miko. I'm sure everyone knows exactly what I did to Gaara.

Ha! Bullshit. Fuckin' idiots. All of them.

"How do you know he didn't stay there on his own free will?" I asked, trying to sound as if I honestly didn't know. Matsuri chuckled and shook her head. "Why would he stay in the disgusting hell-hole with a human woman? He could have any demon woman he desires in this village," She pointed out the window.

"Do you have feelings for this Prince, Matsuri-San?"

Chocolate brown eyes became wide at my sudden question. "I…" She began to stutter and then looked down. "You hate this woman, don't you? Not because she supposedly 'trapped' the Prince in her world. It has nothing to do with him being 'trapped'. It's because she did something you could not do." I told her in a cold voice. It probably wasn't a good idea for Akina to defend Xin like this, but I didn't care.

"What do you mean?"

"No matter how strong this miko woman is, she can't take advantage of a demon Prince. It just won't happen. So obviously that meant he was fine with being with her. And I'm pretty sure they weren't playing hopscotch. They were doing…." A sudden smirk broke out of my face, but it remained unknown to her.

"Things. Things people who love each other do. Touching each other, protecting one another. Kissing…comforting…having sex," I was leaning closer now. "And you, you who love him, realized this. You're a smart girl. You know what they were doing the whole time. That's why you don't like her. It's a personal thing. You're jealous."

It was her who looked pale. I'm not sure what she thought she was going to do but it didn't work. I'm not sure if she was just gossiping or if she knew something about me that she shouldn't have known. But I took care of that.

She left without saying another word.

_Matsuri's P.O.V_

That harlot! That witch!

I knew she had kept the Prince trapped in her realm, but I had no idea that she actually forced herself on him! And how dare she try to cover it up with that piece of shit story! As if Gaara-Sama would feel like that towards her.

She put a black magic curse on him. And he broke it and now she's here and trying to get him back. Well, I won't have it! I'll protect the Prince any way I can. I don't care what I had to do, I'd protect him. Who did she think she was fooling, anyway? Going around with that hood over her face and telling us that her name is Akina! Ha! I was going to make sure that she was going to pay for what she's done.

Coming closer to the kingdom, I was surprised to see Sasori-San coming from it. This was perfect! Sasori-San had met that witch of a woman a couple of times. If he knew she was here, he would gladly drag her out by her silky hair to the king to be killed!

This was perfect.

"Sasori-San! Sasori-San!" I darted towards him with a wide smile on my face. Soon, my Prince would be safe from this woman. She would be executed for her actions. Perhaps the King would make her execution public to the village as a lesson to anyone else…

"Matsuri," He nodded to me, folding his arms across his face. "I hope I'm not distracting you from your work," I told him, my smile becoming excited and bright. "No…not at all. What's got you so happy? Have you found out where the Prince is hiding?"

Gaara didn't want the kingdom to know that he was constantly moving around to avoid his Father and siblings. Poor thing, he still hasn't gotten over the shame of being trapped by the witch. But that's okay; I was going to make sure that she'd never get the chance to hurt him again.

"That woman….Xin?"

"Do you know something about her, Matsuri?"

"….I do."

* * *

_TeeBeMe: And that's where I'm ending this chapter. You guys are probably like 'wtf, bitch! Why did you break them up!? They just had sex!' Sorry guys, I gotta get the ball rolling on this story._

**Xin: Everyone's going to the demon world! Even Hinata!**

_TeeBeMe: Yep, I'd just like point out that I'm co-authoring a story with my friend, Kiteria. It's about Xin meeting an old friend, Saya. You guys should go read BlueDevil High and BlueDevil Dropouts to understand and know Saya, okay?_

**Xin: Should be fun!**

_TeeBeMe: Yep, I've been busy lately, so that's why I haven't updated in a month. But Hurricane Sandy is supposedly coming towards me so I had today off from school. So I was able to finish, yay. I'll try to stay on top and get this sucker done._

**Xin: Don't give up on us!**

_TeeBeMe: Yes…so I hope no one is a fan of Matsuri….cuz' I'm not and obviously she's more of a villainous character in this story, although she believes her intentions are in the right place. Gaara is still unaware of Xin being in the demon world, but he'll know soon. So, please drop a review by and let me know how this chapter was._


	12. What's love without tragedy?

_TeeBeMe: Well, happy thanksgiving everyone! If you don't celebrate thanksgiving…happy thursday to you, lol. Two new chapters in one day! Go read We Own The Night if you're an Ouran fan, please!_

**Xin: TeeBeMe does not own the rights to Naruto. Just the OCs. **

Sasori stared down at Matsuri, his lips thinning into a grim line. Matsuri's usually friendly brown eyes held a sly, almost vindictive shine to them as she smiled up at him. She had approached him moments ago, claiming to know something about the missing human, Xin.

"And what do you know, Matsuri?"

She folded her arms behind her back and rocked back and forth on her feet. He didn't believe her, she could tell. He probably just thought she was bullshitting to get some attention.

"I know she escaped from the kingdom four days ago by attacking a guard." Matsuri's smile widened into a grin. Sasori's eyes narrowed into an annoyed glare. "Matsuri, what do you know?" He loomed over her, a dark look shadowing his face.

For a moment, her sweet smile twitched and then she let out a nervous laugh. She wasn't expecting Sasori to be so serious about capturing Xin again. But by the look on his face, it was almost as if Sasori held something personal against the human.

"….I know where she's hiding."

Sasori gripped Matsuri up, his grip on her shoulder almost painful. "I don't have time for games, Matsuri. Is that true, do you know where the miko is hiding?" He hissed, barring his teeth down at her.

"….Yes. I'll bring you to her."

"We shall meet with the King first."

* * *

Sakura paced back and forth in the large room. Sasuke leaned against the wall near the window, peering out into the village. Reading over a yellowing scroll was an old woman with short gray hair.

"Sakura? What's bothering you?" the old woman sighed, throwing the scroll down into her lap. "I'm just worried, Chiyo-Sama. I'm worried about our friend," Sakura groaned, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.

Sasuke sighed and caught her hands, pulling them away and stopping her from tearing her pretty pink hair. "Is this friend in some sort of danger?" Chiyo asked curiously, watching as Sasuke said something to soothe Sakura's nerves.

"She's in a lot of danger, have you heard of that woman who seduced the Prince?" Sakura looked at Chiyo, frowning. "I have! I'd love to meet the woman who's actually strong enough to 'lock' our Prince in her realm," Chiyo let out a small chuckle.

"That's my friend."

Chiyo looked at Sakura as if she had lost her mind. She glanced at Sasuke, who simply folded his arms across his chest and frowned. "You are friends with this miko prostitute?" Chiyo raised thin eyebrows.

Sakura snorted and settled into a chair. "She's anything but a prostitute, Chiyo-Sama. She's actually a really nice girl, a bit foul-mouthed, but she has a good heart," Sakura let out another sigh. "If that's the case, why are you worried about this nice young girl?" Chiyo questioned.

She hadn't really been interested in what was currently going on in Suna. Chiyo had shut herself in her home with her brother ever since her grandson had become part of the King's court. Shigure had twisted her grandson into a cruel man, using his parent's deaths as fuel for Sasori's anger.

The older demon interacted with few people from the outside world. Sakura, whatever guest she brought along and the royal Siblings. But lately, she saw less and less of the siblings. She saw Gaara some months ago and he looked completely fine beside his blond headed friend, Naruto. In fact, if Chiyo remembered correctly….that was around the time Gaara was supposedly 'trapped' in the human realm.

"Tell me about this miko, then."

Sakura looked up in surprise. Chiyo usually didn't care for what was going on in the outside world, she knew that. So, why was she suddenly asking about Xin? Where would she even start with describing the crazy little human?

"Her name is Xin and she's very small. But that shouldn't fool you," Sakura chuckled, remembered all the things Naruto had told her about the little human. "She's a professional fighter, which is hard to believe. But she is. She's laid-back and kind of goofy but she has fierce temper." Sakura pleasantly spoke of the pale woman.

Chiyo nodded, inhaling all of the information about the mysterious miko. "And her relationship with Gaara? What was like that before he returned to the demon realm?"

Sakura laughed softly and ran her fingers through her pink bangs. She had only seen the two together that one time Xin had been brought to her by Naruto. After Xin had woken up from her coma, Gaara clutched her close by him, refusing to let her out of his sight. And then they were arguing comically, him sporting a red hand-print and she was shoving her finger in his face.

"They were in love," She shrugged, knowing Xin would hate her if she heard that statement. "No matter how much either of them denies it, they were in love and they probably still feel the same. They're both terribly stubborn..."

Chiyo's face was twisted in surprise. "You mean to tell me that the demon Prince loved a human miko?" She asked, not really believing it. She witnessed the boy grow up and she was almost sure he was not capable of loving anyone. She saw him from the time he was a lonely little boy to the monster teenager who killed at the drop of a nail. And then he turned into the calm man she knew today.

"I know it seems impossible but he killed a woman he once had relations with because she kidnapped Xin. He kept her safe from Kankuro when he was sent to kill her. When Sasori and other demons were sent after her, he protected her from them. Chiyo-Sama, if he didn't love her, why would do all that?"

"If all of that is true…why did he return to the demon realm so suddenly? I've heard that when people mention her name in his presence, he gets extremely angry and doesn't want to speak about her. As if he hates her. Why is that?"

That's when sadness glazed over Sakura's jade eyes. That was a good question, why did he suddenly come back? Why did he leave her? Why, why, why? She didn't know and Xin didn't know. And she didn't want to know.

That was Xin's problem. Stubborn and angry, she lashed out at Gaara. Pressured him into leaving her. She had been quick with her mouth and anger. Didn't even care to hear his explanation. Sakura could just picture how the farewell had gone.

"I'm not exactly sure why he returned and left her. But they're angry at one another because they're so stubborn. And now, Shigure has brought her here to use her as some sort of weapon to purify and kill any demon. That didn't sit well with Xin, so she escaped from the kingdom and now she's hiding out at inn. I'm afraid she might be caught and dragged back soon…"

Chiyo regard Sakura carefully and then looked towards Sasuke. He looked as if he was concentrating something. Almost like he was planning something perfectly in his head. Chiyo sighed and slapped her forehead.

These young people…

* * *

Shigure stared down at the girl who was trying to put on a brave front. Her hair was brown and her eyes matched, wide and nervous. Matsuri played with the front of her shirt, feeling small underneath the King's gaze.

"Matsuri, was it?" He asked slowly, eyes zeroing in on her. Matsuri flinched but nodded nonetheless. "Sasori has told me you know the whereabouts of the human miko? She's a criminal, you know…" Shigure trailed off, smirking.

Slowly, she nodded. "I know she's a criminal. I know what she did to the Prince, that's why I want to turn her in," She stated firmly, her eyes hardening. "She's hiding out at my family's inn, using a fake name and hiding her face. Disgusting," Matsuri shook her head, spitting out her information.

Shigure smirked widely at this. So, this is where the little wench was hiding out. She was a clever girl, using the city's climate and weather to her advantage. But he was going to snatch her up soon.

"Shigure-Sama? Shall I bring her back now?" Sasori asked slowly, watching Shigure's face twitch with vindictive thoughts. "Now? Oh no…let's play her little game. We'll allow some time to go, a week or so. Allow her to become comfortable. And then…we'll snatch her up."

Matsuri could only smile.

* * *

Xin hurried into the inn, mumbling to herself. "Something wrong, Akina-San?" Yuki, Matsuri's Mother asked from the front desk. The young woman sighed, almost forgetting that she was supposed to answer to that name.

"Oh, you know…I'm not really used to the weather here yet," She shrugged, coming over to the desk. Yuki smiled at the masked woman, nodding. "You said you were raised in Konoha your entire life, right? No wonder you're not used to our weather yet," Yuki commented with another nod.

"I'll get used to it eventually, I suppose," Xin shrugged, wanting badly to shed her hooded robe. "Have you found your relative yet?" Yuki asked with no ill intention. Xin let out a huff and then shook her head. "Not yet. They're very slippery," She replied.

Her supposed 'relative' was anyone who could open a goddamn portal. Xin had considered asking Yuki if she knew how to open portals when she first checked in, but Yuki seemed clueless.

"Have you seen Matsuri? She's been acting quite strange these past couple of days," Yuki worried, placing her chin in her palm. "Not really. She leaves for the entire day and then comes back when I'm practically asleep," Xin shrugged, scratching at her forehead.

"Well, I know she visits the Prince frequently but her behavior has changed," Yuki sighed heavily, not noticing how tense Xin's shoulders suddenly got. "She knows the Prince?" She asked slowly, trying to feign innocence and ignorance.

"Yes, they've been friends since they were fourteen, if I'm not mistaken," Yuki offered a sweet smile. Xin almost groaned loudly and slammed her head down on the desk. Now it really made sense why Matsuri hated Xin so much.

That demon has been in love with Gaara for damn there six years. No wonder she had so much hate directed towards Xin. Hell, Xin hated herself too. Matsuri wasn't the only one.

"Akina-San, would you go get the blankets? They should be dry by now," Yuki requested kindly, gesturing towards the back door. "Okay," Xin nodded and sauntered outside. Because she didn't have any currency to pay with, Xin did chores around the inn for the innkeepers.

Xin tightened her robe around her and set to work with getting the blankets and neatly folding them. She was so focused on her task; she didn't even notice the two demons standing a little bit away.

Her fingers froze when one of them greeted her.

"Ah! Akina-San! Doing some chores for Mom?" Matsuri waved in a friendly manner, smiling widely. Standing next to her was _(of fuckin' course)_ Sasori. A sickening feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as Sasori's dark eyes turned on her.

"Yes, she wanted me to get the blankets for her," Xin answered quietly, motioning to the pile of folded blankets in the basket at her feet. "Did you hear, Akina-San?" Matsuri asked, coming closer to her. Something about the way she was smiling was unsettling her.

"Hear what?" Xin asked, going back to the folding. "That awful woman from the human realm, that miko prostitute escaped from the kingdom some days ago!" She exclaimed, shaking her head. "Can you believe it? A woman like that running wild through our village," Matsuri sighed heavily, throwing her arms up.

She was ready to punch this little twat in her fuckin' neck.

"Oh? Is that so? That's terrible…" The miko feigned innocence and folded another blanket. "Yes, so Sasori-San has been gong through the village looking for her. If you see her, make sure you alert someone. Remember, she has dark hair and purple eyes, I hear. She's very pale. Kind of like you." Matsuri poorly described her.

"_Fuckin' idiot, my eyes are pale lavender, not purple. I t want to pull my hands back into the darkness of my cloak. But doing that would blow my cover and then I'd have to run my ass off." _

"Is that so? She is a descendent from my village, Konoha. Being pale is natural over there," Xin pointed out, folding the last blanket and piling it into the basket. Matsuri nodded slowly. "Well…I should bring these inside to your Mother. Ah…good luck, Sasori-San…" She picked up the basket and turned away, wanting to get back inside as soon as possible.

"I won't need it soon, Akina-San…"

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

A few days after meeting with Matsuri and Sasori, I was in my room. I was just pulling my hood up to go to the door when the door suddenly opened and in stormed in Sasuke and Sakura. The wind created by the door blew my hood back, revealing my startled face.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" I asked with my hands on my hips as Sakura quickly shut the door behind them. She looked around the room, jade eyes darting around like crazy. They settled on the window and she quickly hurried to it, snapping it open.

"It seems Sasori has found your hiding spot," Sasuke told me calmly, watching as my eyes went wide. "What? How!?" I hissed, hurrying to the door. I eased it open just a bit and peered out of the slit.

I saw Sasori standing with Matsuri and her Mother. Matsuri was talking to her Mother, who seemed quite shocked. A moment later, Matsuri turned in the direction of my room and pointed right at my door. Oh, that bitch! I was going to enjoy beating the shit out of her when I got the chance.

Sasori caught me peering out of the door and shot me a sadistic grin. I cursed to myself and quickly shut the door. Backing away, I was about to turn to Sasuke and Sakura when the door exploded open.

I landed against something hard and I suddenly felt a hand on my legs, sweeping me up off the floor. Kind of dazed, I looked up at Sasuke's face and frowned. Why was he carrying me?

"Well if it isn't Sakura and Sasuke…" Sasori gave them a blank glare at the doorway. "Scorpion bastard…" Sakura hissed at him. "I already beat you once Sasori. I can do it again," She added as an afterthought.

Sakura fought Sasori?

And she won?

Well….I'll be damned.

"I'm not here for you, Sakura. Just give the girl to me and you can both go home peacefully," Sasori said, motioning towards me. Sasuke discreetly backed away towards the window.

"We can't do that," Sakura shook her head, her pink locks dancing around her beautiful face. "Why not? She's a wanted criminal in Suna," Sasori leaned against the doorway. "Fuck you, Sasori! I'm not a criminal!" I shouted in anger, tired of all these titles given to me.

"But you are," Sasori nodded, straightening up and stalking towards us. Sasuke's grip tightened on my legs and at my side and he suddenly turned around and dove right out of the fuckin' window.

I, of course, screamed like a little bitch.

When he landed on the roof of the next building, I scowled at him. "What the hell, man!? You couldn't have gave me a fuckin' signal you were about to dive out of fuckin' window!? I started snapping at him, clearly frazzled.

"You're going to attract attention," He rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder. "I'm going to jump to the next roof, prepare yourself," He said right before running and jumping to the next one.

He did this for what felt like ten minutes. I tried my best not to scream and cry, so instead I emitted a little squeak every time he fuckin' jumped to the next roof. "We're here," He suddenly said, looking down at the other building.

"Thank God," I huffed, my arms locked firmly around his neck. He jumped from the roof of the building and landed in front of the next one. Slowly, he set me down to shaky legs. I was surprised when he settled his hand on my back and held it there until I could stand on my own.

"Thank you, Sasuke," I combed my fingers through my frazzled hair. He nodded quietly and then stepped forward in the house, beckoning me to follow. "Chiyo, we're here." He called into the house, closing the door behind.

Chiyo. That name sounded so familiar. I raked my brain in search of the memory. I snapped my fingers, smiling. Chiyo was the old woman Naruto and Gaara had gone to visit the first time. Yes…while they were here visiting, I had meet Sasori for the first time.

I shook the memory away.

"Finally, did you bring the girl?"

A woman came damn there out of nowhere, scaring the living shit out of me. "Did I scare you, my girl?" She grinned up at me, the wrinkles straining around her smile. Hands went to my hips and I cocked one to the side. "You seem almost glad you scared me," I frowned.

"Of course. I love scaring people."

"Sasuke…is this woman sane?"

"Probably not."

"Oh my God…"

Chiyo let out a laugh and motioned for us to follow her. She told us to sit down at the table and she settled into a chair. "Is Sakura far behind?" Chiyo asked once we were all settled. "She should be arriving soon," Sasuke informed her from my side.

Chiyo nodded and then turned her old eyes on me. I smiled nervously at her. Why the fuck was she looking at me like that?

"So, you're the miko prostitute I've heard so much about."

I groaned loudly and slapped my forehead. "What is wrong with you people!? Who the hell even started that?! I have a name, you know." I started to rant; my face was probably turning red.

But seriously, why is it so hard to believe that Gaara had fallen in love with me? Why did everyone assume that I had him locked up and was raping him or something? Comparing Gaara to me, there's no way I'd have enough strength to do that! I'm five foot fuckin' two! He's probably at least five nine or something, damn!

Chiyo let out a hearty laugh and I suddenly didn't feel so angry at her. I think she had asked that just to mess with me. Obviously, it had worked. "Silly girl. I know your name is Xin," Chiyo told me, her laughter tinkling on.

"And I know you're not a harlot or prostitute. Or whatever else they've been calling you," Chiyo waved my annoyance off. "I have heard about you though," She told me, eyes trained on me.

"You love our Prince."

I bit my bottom lip and stared at her. "Past-tense," I mumbled, playing with my fingers. "Past-tense?" Chiyo raised a thin eyebrow. "I _loved _your Prince. Things are different now," I told her with a slight bite to my tone.

"How long has it been since you last saw him?" Chiyo questioned me. "I'unno, three or four months? I lost track of the days once I got here," I told her truthfully. When Sasori first brought me here, it was in the middle of January. Now, I had no idea how many days have gone by since then.

"You young people…" Chiyo chuckled and shook her head. Before I could ask her what the hell that was supposed to mean, the door opened and in came Sakura. "He hasn't been in the village since he's returned," Chiyo casually stated, picking at something on her robe.

I frowned, where the hell was Gaara then if he wasn't in the village? And why wasn't he even in the village to begin with? What the fuck was he doing?

"Where is he?" I asked quietly, almost hating myself for worrying over that idiot. Chiyo almost seemed smug at my question and I think she must have realized that I was worried for him. Next to Sasuke, Sakura shifted with a smile.

"He is somewhere outside of the village," Chiyo glanced out the window. "He's out in the fuckin' desert? Has he lost his mind?" I snapped, leaning forward with a gasp. Chiyo's smug look expanded even more into a Cheshire grin.

"If you do not love him any longer…why does it matter what he's doing?" She asked slowly, causing me to realize that I fell right for her trap. I groaned loudly and slammed my head down on the table.

"Okay, so maybe I still care about him…" I trailed off, mumbling into the surface of the table. Yes, I still cared about him. Okay, that's all fine and dandy. But did it matter? Probably not. It's not like he still loved or even cared for me. Why were they so adamant on making me tell the truth?

Much to my anger, I felt tears well up in my eyes. It just wasn't fair. What the fuck had I done to deserve all of this? Who did I piss the fuck off? I just wanted my old life back, to be honest. None of this demon mumbo jumbo crap, none of the miko heritage. None of that. I just wanted to be Hyuuga Xin again. Not the miko prostitute.

"Do not fret, child," Chiyo rested a withered hand on my back, kind of scaring me cuz' when the fuck did she move? I almost jumped in surprise. Slowly I sat up with red-rimmed eyes and I realized just how ugly I must have looked.

"If you give up now, all you've done to stay alive will be in vain," Chiyo softly told me, her old hand a comforting feeling. "I think you should have more faith in our Prince. He will realize how he feels for you and he will come back for you," She continued.

I sniffled and then rubbed my burning eyes. "Do you have a shower I could use? Or a change of clothes?" I asked with my lower-lip poking out. Chiyo let out a nice chuckle and nodded, motioning for Sakura to take me to the shower.

Sakura led me to the shower and set a pile of clothes and a towel on the sink. Sakura seemed like she was deep in thought as she stood with me. "Sakura? You alright?" I tapped her arm and she jumped, wide eyes boring into mine.

"Oh...I'm fine. I was just thinking," Sakura smiled down at me and I felt a little better but I still had an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. I nodded slowly and she pulled me into a sudden hug. "Everything will turn out fine," She whispered softly before releasing me and leaving the bathroom.

I could only sigh.

* * *

Days went by and Xin found herself getting used to living with Chiyo. Although she found it a little strange Chiyo had her wear genie clothes but she never commented on it. Just like she had done back at the inn, she did chores for Chiyo.

Chiyo seemed interested in the human realm, asking Xin about any differences there was from the demon realm. Xin never had a problem telling Chiyo about her world, it made her feel better.

"Chiyo-Baa, don't you have any other clothes besides genie clothes?" Xin laughed, coming from the bathroom in fresh light pink genie clothes. Chiyo glanced up from an old scroll and smiled softly. "Of course I do. But those are the only ones that will fit you. You're terribly small and shockingly busty," Chiyo commented, motioning to Xin's breasts.

Xin blushed brightly and folded her arms across her breasts. "I am not busty," She shook her head. Chiyo let out a loud cackle. "Really? You don't consider yourself busty?" Chiyo turned to look at her coolly.

"Of course not!"

"I'm willing to bet every male will disagree…"

Xin threw her hands up while shaking her head. "You're impossible, Chiyo-Baa." She shook her head and threw her slightly wet hair into a quick ponytail. "Get the laundry, will you?" Chiyo requested to the young human. "Sure thing," Xin smiled brightly and quickly grabbed her hooded cloak and dashed out back.

In the middle of folding a pair of genie pants, she felt her stomach drop. Slowly, the little human looked around for anything out of place. "Chiyo-Baa, if this is one of your little pranks, it isn't funny!" She called out, hoping that it was a prank.

"I find it quite funny."

Xin whipped around to come face to face with Sasori. "How the fuck do you keep finding me!?" She snapped out. Sasori crossed his arms and shrugged, smirking lazily at her. "I'll have to give you credit. Hiding out at my Grandmother's was clever. It was the last place I looked."

Xin sighed and buried her face in her hands. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" She groaned, sagging her shoulders. "You know I didn't seduce the Prince, you know that for a fact!" She almost screamed at him, shaking her head.

Sasori shrugged, clearly not caring about the truth. "Doesn't matter. I've been ordered to bring you back and that's what I intend to do," He told her, advancing on her. Xin backed away, dropping the basket of laundry.

She held her hand to him, glowing fiercly. "Stay away from me," She hissed out, eyes narrowing. "You know I can't," Sasori gave a sadistic grin and rushed forward, surprising the living hell out of the human. Her instincts kicked in and she immediately ducked out of the way of his punch.

She reached forward and grabbed his arm. Burning him, she yanked him forward to the ground. She instantly jumped up, avoiding him tripping her with a sweep of his arm. He scrambled back to his feet and regarded her with an angry scowl.

She scowled back at him and raised her fists. Again, he sped forward to strike her down. Xin caught his fist before it could make contact with her face. With her elbow, she slammed it into his chest.

Sasori backed away, holding his chest. He had to stop underestimating her simply because she was a human. This needed to end and it needed to end now. The king was growing irritated with each day.

He paused, which caused her to pause and eye him carefully. She began backing away, fingers flexing dangerously. He followed each step slowly until he backed her into the fence separating his Grandmother's house from the next.

"You will return to the kingdom," He told her softly, trapping her beneath him. She tried to push herself farther back into the fence, wanting to get a good amount of distance between their bodies.

"Go to hell," She hissed, plunging her arms forward to purify him. Unfortunately, he reacted much quicker than she thought he would. He caught her wrists and slammed them into the fence, almost grinning evilly when she let out a small cry.

"You will do as I say," He spat in her face, scowling when she glared hatefully at him. "I'll escape like I did last time," She snapped at him through gritted teeth. "I'll break you," Sasori told her blankly.

And then he kissed her.

Eyes wide, she struggled against him. She struggled and wriggled beneath him, trying her hardest to get him _off_. She didn't like the kiss. It wasn't full of any emotion. He was doing it to taunt her. It wasn't _Gaara_.

She cursed when she felt fingers rove over her exposed stomach. She cursed Chiyo, cursed her to Hell and wondered where the fuck the old woman was. His arm circled her middle, pulling her struggling body against his.

She vaguely remembered all the months ago when Sasori had kissed her. She remembered Gaara coming damn there out of nowhere and jerking her away. He had come to her rescue, even though he bitched her out afterward.

Xin knew he wasn't coming to rescue her from this monster.

Xin laughed to herself. Sasori didn't understand. He couldn't possibly break her like he had claimed he would. She felt disgusted when his tongue slipped between her lips. He couldn't break her, Gaara had beaten him to it.

Already broken.

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

I woke up in a dark cell again. I groaned and bumped my head against the hard wall. Damn it all to hell. Back at square one! Fuck my life. Just fuck it sideways.

I pulled at my hands and realized they were bound and held above my head. These fuckers were making sure I wasn't going anywhere unless they said so. I bit my bottom lip and remembered that Sasori kissed me.

I hated him. I hated him so much.

I heard footsteps and looked up to see two guards eyeing me from outside the cell. Their eyes glinted deviously and I suddenly felt nervous. Were these two goons going to be cliché and perhaps molest me? Rape me, even?

Slowly they eased the cell door open and came towards me. I pulled at the rope that bonded my hands together. One of them crouched down and cupped my check, forcing me to look at him. I scowled at him and tried to yank my face away.

"So they were right," He hummed in this gravelly voice to his companion. "She's quite the beauty for a human," He forced my face into different directions, looking at me in different angles.

I breathed heavily through my nostrils, my chest heaving. "She has a nice body," The other muttered, squatting down to run his fingers down my breasts and to my flat stomach. I gasped and pulled away, the ropes burning at my skin. I hissed at the pain but still tried to move backwards.

"Can't go anywhere, doll," He caught me by my leg and pulled me back towards them. I glared at him, hating the way he called me by the nickname Gaara had for me. "Don't call me that," I hissed out, not liking the way he ran his grubby hand up my leg to my thigh.

"Don't fuckin' touch me!"

The one touching my thigh laughed and curled his fingers in the fabric of my pants. I screamed when he tugged on my pants, ripping my pants in half. I was now missing an entire pant leg. Luckily, nothing too intimate was showing, just my hip.

Instantly, I started to squirm around. These two goons were really serious about molesting me or raping me, even. I started to panic and my squirming became more violent thrashes.

One of them grumbled something and then yanked my top down around my stomach, baring my breasts to them. Not wanting them to bounce, I stopped thrashing, resorting to glaring angrily at them.

My stomach churned uncomfortably as I watched their eyes glint deviously. Great. I get raped at the tender age of fourteen and then years later I'm gang-banged by two random goons.

I breathed through my nose and shook my head. "Don't touch me," I snapped at them, watching their grins widens. "Now, listen doll….I don't think you're in a position to tell us to do anything," The one to my right said, reaching up to flick my bloody and bound hands.

I hissed in pain and cursed at them. One of them reached forward and I instantly let out a shrill screech. Hopefully someone, anyone, would come by and stop this fuckery. "Scream all you want, no one cares about the miko prostitute."

That caused me to pause with wide eyes. They were right. Who gave a fuck about what happened to me down here? They wanted to use me or kill me anyway. Who gives a shit if I'm raped down here?

No one came.

* * *

Temari scowled as she hurried through the dark and dreary hallways. She had recently heard through the grape-vine that Sasori had dragged Xin back to the kingdom kicking and screaming. After demanding from her Father the location where they were keeping the human, Temari quickly set off to find her.

She folded her arms across and hurried to the cell Xin had been thrown into. She didn't even want to see how pissed Xin would be. Wanting to find the human, she quickened her pace.

When she found her, she was horrified at the sight. Her once bright pink outfit had been tarnished, shredded and dirtied. Trails of old and new blood ran down from her bound hands, soaking the ropes and running rivulets of red down her arms and to her shoulders.

Ugly bruises married her once flawless skin from her neck down to her hips and thighs. A tangle of midnight blue hair curled around her face, some pieces of hair sticking to her dirtied face. Her head was propped up against the wall, tilted up at the ceiling. Wide lavender eyes saw nothing though.

"Xin? Xin? Can you hear me?" She snapped open the cell-door, causing the human to visibly flinch. Her shoulders sagged once she realized who it was but that only caused more stress to her bloodied wrists.

"You have got to be fucking joking…" Temari hissed to herself, rushing over to the woman and surveying the damage done to her wrists. Moving quickly with slightly shaky fingers, she undid the binds.

Xin's hands dropped down to her lap. The human's head dropped down and stared at her injured wrists but said nothing. "Xin, can you hear me?" Temari asked, squatting down and touching Xin's arm.

She instantly flinched away, looking sick in the face. "What the hell happened down here?" The blond asked, glancing around. "I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to get bandages and some food for you, okay?" Temari didn't wait for the miko to reply, she just darted out of the cell.

Five minutes later she came trotting back with a basket of bread and things to clean and bandage Xin's wrists with. When she returned, Xin's eyes were darting around the confined cell nervously.

She closed the cell door and came back to Xin's side. "I'm back, see me?" Temari placed everything down and waved in Xin's face. The girl blinked long and hard and nodded. She glanced down at the items on the floor.

Temari slowly lifted Xin's hand, expecting the damage done to her wrists. If she hadn't been a warrior Princess of the Sand, the sight of her wrists might have made her sick to her stomach.

But she pushed on and started to clean and wrap her wrists. Xin hissed and tried to tug her hands away but Temari had the grip of iron. "It's almost finished," Temari mumbled, expertly wrapping the white bandages.

When she was finished hiding the horrifying sight under the bandages, she handed Xin a slice of bread. "Thank you," Xin softly told her, taking the bread from the Sand Princess. The blond nodded quietly and watched as Xin ate.

When she was filled up with some food, Temari rolled her lips. "Xin…what happened down here?" Temari questioned, looking around the dark room. Xin let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. "Isn't it obvious?"

"….."

Xin sighed heavily and stared down at her bandaged wrists. Her body was still sore, from what, she wasn't exactly sure. All she wanted to do was just lie down and be left alone. But she knew that wasn't possible. When Temari left, someone else would come and ruin her.

"I was tortured and raped for a couple of hours." Xin told her blankly. Temari's eyes were wide as soon as Xin told her that. "By who?" She hissed, barring sharp teeth. Xin sighed heavily and slowly ran her fingers through her bangs.

"I don't know. Two guards," She shrugged without a care. "Xin, why are you acting like that? Like you don't even care what happened to you! You should be angry," Temari nearly shouted at her, growing frustrated with Xin's impassive attitude.

Again, the miko let out another bitter laugh. "Why should I care when it's probably going to happen again in a couple of hours? Look at me, Temari. I screamed and cried while they beat the living shit out of me and took turns raping me. Did anyone come? No. Did anyone hear? Yes. Of course they heard, they've got freakish hearing that's way better, right? Your kingdom heard me screaming for help and did they care? No." Xin began to rant at the blond.

"In fact, I'm willing to bet your kingdom probably thinks I deserve this. How could anyone deserve something like this? Look at what they've done to me. I just…I don't even know what I did for all this to happen!" Xin's voice began to quiver and crack.

"Can I be honest with you?" Xin suddenly asked the blond, turning watery lavender eyes to the older woman. "Of course…" Temari nodded, not being able to look the girl in the eyes.

"When I being beaten and raped….I kept wishing Gaara would come to stop it. I knew it wouldn't happen, Chiyo-Baa told me he's all the way out in the desert. Probably doesn't even know I'm here. But…I wished he would come save me. But after awhile, I realized there wasn't even a chance of that happening. So I imagined it was him I was having sex with instead of those guards raping me," Xin confessed softly, looking down at her lap.

"I know it's probably pathetic," tears started to flow down her dirt-streaked face. "But I still love him and I just want him here with me right now. I want him to tell me everything is okay and that I'm still his doll. I just want to feel safe with him again…"

Temari knew this was going to happen. She knew their love story wouldn't last. They were from two different worlds. They weren't meant to be. They weren't built to last. Hell, Xin would probably be killed before Gaara even returned to the kingdom. She felt so guilty.

She had sat by and let her people tear this girl apart.

* * *

Naruto cradled Hinata to his chest as he stepped through the portal. Hinata gasped out loudly, trying to regain her breathing. He had tried his hardest to convince the girl to stay in the human world, but she wasn't having it.

He refused to bring her to Suna. It was too dangerous to bring her there with her face. She was Xin's twin, for fuck's sake. The people of Suna would recognize her face and try to harm her because of Xin's reputation.

So, he was leaving her at Konoha. She hadn't been too pleased with being left behind in an entire different village but she had to take it. "It's beautiful here," She was in awe at the gorgeous village Naruto called home.

"You think so?" He asked, looking around the village. Now, the question at hand was where the fuck was he going to leave her while he tracked his best friend and her sister down?

Sakura and Sasuke weren't at Sakura's home, which he found odd. Where the fuck were his childhood best friends? They weren't even in the village, apparently. He considered leaving her in the care of Ino, Sakura's friend. But then he decided against it. Hinata was not mentally prepared to be around the _(slutty but nice)_ blond demon.

There was no way in hell he was leaving her with dog-breath Kiba or bug-boy Shino. That was out of the question. So, he settled on leaving her with his parents. Hopefully Kushina wouldn't scar his dear girl too much.

He led her into the large home and through the many hallways until he came to the main room where he knew his parents would be. He snapped the door open to see his parents looking up at him.

"Oh! Hinata-Chan!" Kushina jumped up and shoved her son out of the way to hug the small woman. "I'm so glad you're here!" She gushed and Naruto rubbed his face. "Nice to see you too, Mom." He rolled his eyes and moved towards his Father.

Minato watched his wife gush over the small woman. "So this is the woman I've heard so much about from your Mother," He nodded towards Hinata. "Yeah, that's her," Naruto grinned up at his Father. "Your Mother was right. She's quite pretty. She's a human though?"

"A miko."

"Well, that's better than just a regular human…"

Naruto chuckled and nodded. "I have a favor, old man…" Naruto trailed off, watching Hinata interact with his Mother fondly. "Yeah?" Minato raised a blond eyebrow. "Can you keep Hinata here for a bit while I go find her sister? I can't take her with me but she refuses to be left in the human world…"

Minato regarded his son for a long time and frowned. "Well….I suppose we could keep her here, if she's not too much trouble." He answered Naruto slowly. Naruto's blue eyes lit up and he grinned. "Believe me, she's no trouble. Mom likes her already, see?" He pointed to the two women.

"But…if Mom…you know…overwhelms her…keep her away…" Naruto whispered to Minato, who chuckled and nodded his head. "Alright, I'll look after her," Minato replied with a smile.

"Great! Hina, I'm leaving," Naruto turned around and pried his Mother from the woman. Kushina frowned and was about to choke her son when her husband grabbed her and pulled her away. Once he was safe from Kushina, Naruto gathered Hinata up in his large arms.

"I'll be back with her as fast as I can," He told her softly. Hinata smiled sweetly and wrapped her hands around his neck. "Thank you so much," She whispered gently. "Please be careful," She added.

He only kissed her to reassure everything would be fine.

* * *

Sakura was grim as she stood with Chiyo in her backyard. She had arrived minutes ago with Sasuke to discover Chiyo frantically searching for the pale miko. The only thing left was an overturned basket.

"She's not in the village anywhere," Sasuke suddenly appeared beside them. "That must mean Sasori came and took her back into the kingdom," Sakura shook her head, pink hair flowing in the hot breeze.

"If that's the case, she's more than likely dead. Or on her way," Chiyo sighed heavily, gathering the laundry basket and returning inside. "Chiyo-Baa! How could you say something like that!?" Sakura demanded to know, following the older woman.

"When the girl was here, she told me Shigure wanted to use her powers to exterminate demons for him. In the short amount of time I've come to know her, I know she'll refuse to do that. If she has no other use, they will kill her. If not, they will use her as a sex-slave at the most. She has a very nice body if they don't ruin it." Chiyo harshly reminded the pinkette.

Before Sakura could reply, the door burst open and in came Naruto. "Chiyo-Baa! Oh! Sasuke-teme….Sakura-Chan. What are you guys doing here?" He pointed at his two friends. "Close the door, you dobe." Sasuke rolled his eyes, the desert wind was invading the cool house.

Naruto shot him a glare but closed the door anyway. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the human realm," Sakura frowned, sitting down next to Chiyo. "A whole bunch of shit happened, Xin got kidnapped, and Gaara fuckin' vanished back here. It's a mess," Naruto sighed, breezing through his explanation.

"What a shame, you just missed the girl…" Chiyo shook her head. Naruto's eyes brightened up, not noticing the sadness in Chiyo's voice. "Really?! Where'd she go? Now I can get her and bring her back to her sister!" He exclaimed happily.

"You idiot. She didn't leave here willingly," Sasuke shook his head. All that trouble they went through to get her here and she ends up getting kidnapped a couple days later. Fuckin' brilliant.

"Sasori took her before we could find Gaara," Sakura told him sadly. "Dammit, where the fuck is Gaara?" Naruto growled, pissed that Xin was still in Sasori's clutches. Sakura eyed her best friend carefully. "He's in the desert…."

"Come on, we have to find him."

* * *

"How sad, you've finally broke?" Sasori shook his head as he neared Xin in her cell. She had been on her side, trying to fall asleep when he came to her. "Just leave me the fuck alone," She turned on her side, ignoring the ground pressing into a bruise.

"Where's the fun in that?" Sasori squatted down next to her and ran his finger down the nape of her neck. Xin sighed heavily. "I've already been raped and beaten, Sasori. What more can you do to me at this point?"

Sasori chuckled humorlessly. "There's still a lot I can do. Do you not realize what I'm capable of?" He whispered, his finger still on her neck. "Sasori…" She trailed off, trying to slide away from him.

He noticed her bandaged wrists and snatched one up, eliciting a shout of pain from her. "Someone helped you?" He asked, eyeing her wrists as she began to bleed through the white bandages. Xin could only gasp in pain.

He stood up, dragging her off the ground. "Sasori, please let go…" She begged as his claws dug through her bandages and into her wounded wrists. She started to scream and sob, begging him to let her go.

"Begging already?" He cooed at her. He scowled at her and threw her back to the ground. "I liked you better when you had some fight left in you. Now you're so hollow, it's so pathetic." He shook his head, his boot stomping on her back.

"You're going to kill me anyway you fuckin' prick," She hissed, wriggling from below him. "Oh? You've still got some spark left in you? Quite impressive." He nodded down at her, grinding his foot into a bruise.

"Fuck you!" She seethed, trying her hardest not to let her tears flow down her face. He stomped harder, scowling at her. "Don't worry, we'll get to that…" His scowl faded into a smirk when he felt her freeze.

"I was already raped by two guards. Isn't that enough?"

"No."

It wouldn't be enough until he broke her into a million pieces. Into pieces she wouldn't be able to put back together. Pieces that would slice into her fingers anytime she attempted. He wouldn't stop until she was broken at his feet.

* * *

Sasori carried the woman out of her cell and back into the kingdom. Shigure had demanded to see her. After two days of continuous torture, he was sure the woman was ready to submit to his whims.

Sasori threw the miko to the floor of the throne room, smirking. To the side, Temari looked away. Xin was in a worse state than she remembered. Obviously, Xin had been right when she said someone else would come after the Princess left to torture her. Next to her, Kankuro tightened his jaw and forced himself to stay where he was.

Xin weakly pushed herself to her hands and knees, staring at the King. "How pathetic, you can't even stand…" Shigure chuckled darkly. Xin instantly scowled. "What the fuck do you expect?! You starved me for what, two days? And had me raped and beaten? Who the fuck would be able to stand after that?" She hissed out weakly.

"No matter what we do to her, she won't let the last spark die out," Sasori growled, glaring down at her form. Shigure sighed and shook his head. "Good enough," He shrugged, watching as Xin struggled to hold herself up.

"Do you think her punishment was fitting, Matsuri?" Shigure looked at the brunette. Matsuri's eyes had never left Xin. Deep down, she knew treating that human this way was wrong. But she had captured her Prince, taking advantage with her powers. She deserved this.

She did. She deserved every bit of it.

"It is fitting. Now she will understand what the Prince felt all those months," She hissed out, glaring at Xin. Something in Xin's eyes flickered d she suddenly scowled harshly. Slowly, she pushed herself to stand up. She stumbled once but remained on shaky legs.

"You know what….I am so sick and tired of all of you…" She began to say, her anger rolling off of her body. "You're running around, accusing me of doing this and that to your precious ass Prince."

"You!" She suddenly turned to Matsuri, pointing at her. "Your dumbass is delusional. You want to believe I forced myself on Gaara but you know I didn't. Look at me. Do you see how easy it is to rape and beat me? How could I possibly rape and hold him as a prisoner if it's so easily done to me!? You know what your problem is, you little twat!? You're fuckin' jealous and don't want to come with grips that he fuckin' loved me!"

She turned to Shigure. "And you! You are the worst parent I have ever met! How the fuck do you mold your son into a fuckin' weapon for years and years and then when he finally is mentally stable, you send him to wipe out an entire race!? What the fuck kind of logic is that!? You're a fuckin' tyrant, you Hitler ass wannabe!"

She spun around to Sasori and nearly fell. "And Jesus fuckin' Christ, you. You are so bipolar it's not even funny. I can't tell if you're fucking with me to piss Gaara off or you have some sort of attraction to me! You're just pissed because you have to live in his shadow and when you took your chance to ruin any happiness Gaara could get, you jumped right on that you sick fuck!"

Sasori darted forward and suddenly struck her with his claws. She felt to the sandy floors with a hiss, instantly trying to nurse her wound. She gritted her teeth and pressed her fingers into the slice, blood leaking past her fingers.

"You son of a bitch! I'm gonna kill you, I swear to fuckin' Jesus!" She screeched as the blood leaked onto the floor. Her pale face began to fade to ashen gray and the blood started to leak out faster. "Empty threats, little girl." Sasori scowled down at her, pleased with all of the blood. "Fuck off, you piece of shit." She snapped at him, bearing at her teeth. "It's amazing how she just refuses to give up and die," Shigure commented blankly, regarding her with no emotion.

"She's quite determined."

"Yes, well, she's determined to ruin my floors. She's leaking everywhere." Shigure scowled as the ruby red blood stained the floor. "Take her somewhere and clean her up. I don't want her dead yet. And give her a spare set of clothes, will you? Those rags are disgusting."

"Maybe if you didn't have your fuckin' people torture and rape the living shit out of me like we're in some clichéd ass movie, I wouldn't look like this you fuckin' Nazi!" Xin hissed at him as Temari suddenly stepped forward before Sasori could reach her.

"I-I'll do it." She volunteered, her eyes stuck on Xin's angered face. Shigure and Sasori eyed her in question. They hadn't known Temari actually thought of Xin in a good light and knew the truth.

"I…I just want to tell her privately what I think of what she's done to Gaara…" She lied quickly. She noticed Xin rolled her eyes but said nothing. "Still worried over your idiot brother, hm? Alright then, get her out of my sight."

"Of course, Father."

* * *

Temari carried the girl to the bathing that only the royal family was allowed to use. Realizing she was no good at healing and that Xin wasn't a demon with healing abilities, she was going to have to stitch the wound close before Xin could bathe.

"You have a really high tolerance for pain," Temari mumbled thoughtfully as she began to thread the wound shut. Xin breathed through her noise and bit her bottom lip. "I'm a boxer, Temari. I've broken bones and then had to force them into place. Sometimes the bone would rip through my skin and bleed and I would have to force it back, bandage it up and keep fighting," She said through labored breathing.

"Sounds brutal," Temari replied, finishing the sewing. It was a little sloppy but it was closed up and it had stopped bleeding. "Now we can get you cleaned up and in some fresh clothes…if we have anything to fit you…"

Xin was quiet as Temari scooped her up; she wasn't sure how she felt about another female carrying her around like she was her bride. She sat her on the edge of the large indoor spring and helped her removed the pieces of clothing that remained.

Slowly and with Temari's help, she seeped into the spring. The heated water engulfed her body greedily until she was neck-deep. Her midnight hair fanned out around her and she sighed in content. It had been sometime since she relaxed and cleaned herself up.

She ducked under the water to get all the filth and grime out of her once full and silky hair. Xin came back up moment later, taking in a deep breath. "You don't understand how good it feels to bathe right now…" She groaned, laying her hand back on the lip of the spring.

Temari only smiled before leaving to get Xin a change of clothes. Temari returned moments later with a towel and clothes for Xin to change into. Xin had already climbed out and was sitting on the edge, waiting for her. She looked extremely thoughtful.

The small human dried herself off and pulled on the clothes Temari had given her. "Uh…Temari?" Xin frowned down at herself in the outfit. "Yeah?" Temari turned from disposing of the dirtied rags. "What the hell do you have me wearing?"

She had been giving a long skirt that reached the floor and had high slits. The part that bothered her so much was that had been given damn there a bikini top. "It's not my fault you're body type is so….curvy. I couldn't find anything that would make your comfortable."

"You call this comfortable?"

"Shut up, you're the one with the huge chest, non-existent waist and giant hips."

Xin huffed and turned away, brushing her damp hair. After a few minutes of silence, Xin broke it first. "Hey, Temari? When I was out in the village, I met this weird woman," She began to say, remembering that she was supposed to relay.

"Mmhm?"

"She wanted me to tell you that she said hello and that she hoped you, Kankuro, your bastard brother and your Nazi of a Father are making the right choices."

"Yeah? Did she say who she was?"

"Uh…oh yeah! She said her name was Karura."

"…What?"

Xin turned to look at Temari, her long hair fell over her shoulders and down past her back. "She said her name was Karura," She shrugged her shoulders, continuing to brush her hair.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, why?"

"What did she look like?"

Xin frowned in question, why was Temari asking all of these questions and acting stiffly? All she said was that she met some strange woman named Karura. "Um…she was a little taller than me and had blond hair, maybe a little lighter than yours and eyes that were like…I don't know, like yours too. But lighter of course. She had a long robe on with a white scarf around her neck."

Temari looked extremely pale now. Her eyes were darting around crazily in thought. She bit her bottom lip nervously. Xin had crossed the room, jerking Temari out of her stupor. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Karura was my Mother."

_Xin's P.O.V_

Temari promptly dragged me back to…her room, shockingly. It was large and had this large ass sink in the corner with pretty water that I just wanted to smash my face into. In the middle of her big ass bed was a guy. He was wearing a gray vest that stopped at the middle of his toned stomach and underneath the vest he wore a fish-net shirt. He was wearing simple black pants and his black sandals rested on the floor next to the bed.

"You're still here," Temari sighed, holding on to me. The guy sat up and regarded her lazily and then glanced at me. "Why would I leave? Your bed is a lot more comfortable..." He shrugged blandly and Temari rolled her eyes.

"This is Xin, the miko Gaara is in love with."

_"Was." _

"Shut up, Xin."

I huffed and crossed my arms, looking away. "This is Shikamaru, he's from Konoha," Temari introduced me. "You in love with him?" I asked, looking at him. "Why the hell would you say that?" Temari's blushed heavily and gaped at me. Yep, she was in love.

"Why else would he be asleep in your bed comfortably like that?"

"S-Shut up!"

"You got it bad."

_"Shut up!"_

I grinned and shrugged, folding my arms behind my back innocently. Temari huffed and pushed me towards the bed, settling me on it. "I have a question about mikos; your Mom told you a lot about mikos, right Shikamaru?" She looked over my head at him.

"Yeah…"

"Can they come into contact with the dead?"

I quickly turned around, I wanted to know too. My Grandmother had never mentioned it and there was no way that the woman, Karura, was dead when I found her on the roof. She wasn't transparent like a ghost would be and she never mentioned it.

"They can."

I gasped. "Oh my god, I can see dead people!?" I exclaimed in shock. "Shh!" Temari hissed down at me, plucking my shoulder. "If anyone finds you here, you could seriously get your ass kicked." She snapped at me with a frown. I rolled my eyes and huffed.

"Worse than I already have?"

"I'm going to end up killing you."

"Get in line."

"Shut up!"

"Yeah, mikos can see dead people," Shikamaru said loudly in attempt to kill the bickering. "Highly trained and experienced mikos can come into contact with them on their own but newly trained mikos can only be contacted by the dead." He explained to us, lying back down.

_"Of course not. I observe a lot of people. It's the only thing I can do. In fact, I'm surprised you can see me. You can see me, yes?"_

"Oh my fuckin' God, that's what she, meant if she asked if I could see her! I was speaking to a fuckin' ghost, a dead person! Oh my God." I began to ramble, more to myself than to the two others I was in the room with.

"Oi, have more respect for my Mother," Temari rolled her eyes and plucked me again. "Jesus, would you stop doing that? I swear, I'm going to purify the fuck out of your ass when I get more energy if you don't quit it!"

"Who the hell is Jesus?"

I sighed.

* * *

I think Temari and Shikamaru went off to fool around somewhere. They claim they were going to get me some food to eat but that was damn there an hour ago. And why the fuck did two people have to go get food for one person, anyway?

Cuz' their liars. They're probably fuckin'. Horny animals.

I huffed and folded my arms across my chest in annoyance. I was bored and I couldn't leave this room unless I wanted to get caught and have my ass handed to me on a silver platter again. My life sucked ass. I was alone with nothing to do in a different world.

I sighed again.

Twenty minutes had gone by when I felt a strange pressure next to me. I turned to the spot and squinted, trying to focus my eyes. The pressure started to fade as whatever was there became more clear by the second.

Karura.

"Finally!" She exclaimed with a tired face, coming to sit on the edge of the bed next to me. I let out a squeak and instantly scrambled away. "What's the matter with you?" She asked curiously from the other side of the bed.

"Don't play games, lady! I know you're a ghost!"

She seemed a little surprised and then she smiled. "Well, at least you know now." She shrugged her smile even brighter. "Why didn't you tell me you were a damn ghost?" I hissed at her. "You wouldn't of believed me." She shrugged. "That's bull! If there are freakin' demons running around, why not ghosts?! Hell, fairies probably exist too!" I threw my hands up in exasperation. Karura shrugged but continued smiling.

"By the way, your Nazi husband and freak-son are not making the right choices, if you must know." I huffed, folding my arms across her chest. "What do you mean? And what's a Nazi?"

"A Nazi is a person who hates Jewish people and kills them."

"That sounds horrible."

"Sounds like your husband."

She sighed heavily and shook her head. "I was afraid this would happen after I passed away. He let those evil council people of his turn him into a tyrant. Or a Nazi, as you say." Karura said sadly. "And my poor Gaara. He's been making such bad choices, as well. Please don't tell me you've given up on him, Xin."

"…What?"

"You still love him, don't you? I know you're angry at him but you must understand. Every love has a tragedy at some point. You have to speak with him soon. If you give up and allow Shigure to kill you, my son will turn into a monster much worse than his Father."

"I can't do anything, Karura. He's nowhere to be found."

Karura shook her head, her will too strong to waver. "He will show back up. And when he does, shout at him all you want. But you must stay alive long enough to tell him you still love him. Please, I beg of you."

She had taken my hands at this point, her sorrow showing through her eyes. She was truly sorry things had turned out this way. And she wanted everything to get better. And I already knew that if everything would get better, I would have to let go of my bitterness and anger first.

"Alright, Karura. I will do my best. That's if he comes back. I was told he's in the desert and for some reason, no one can locate him. I have a feeling he's moving around a lot to stay hidden."

"Most likely."

"Karura? May I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"…How did you die?"

* * *

_TeeBeMe: The rape and torture was a bit cliché, but hey, Xin already pointed that out. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. And Shika is here! Cheers for the lazy ass genius! Gotta love him. _

**Xin: Make sure you review, okay!? It would mean a lot to me!**


	13. No love allowed

_TeeBeMe: Update! Hello my loves! How's everyone? Good? I hope so!_

**Xin: TeeBeMe does not have any rights over the Naruto series. Just the OCs.**

* * *

I sat there for what felt like hours, but it was only minutes. Karura told me her unfortunate story of being targeted by the council ever since she recovered from giving birth to Gaara. Karura had assumed that if they had gotten her out of the way, they could mold Shigure and Gaara into unforgiving monsters.

And they succeeded too.

Apparently, there had been many attempts on Karura's life but she somehow avoided it. But she eventually gave up after she witnessed Gaara kill someone for the first time when he was about five years old. After that, she just gave up on life and let them kill her.

I wanted to slap the fuck out of her.

And I would've too, if she hadn't been a goddamn ghost. After she finished her story, she shifted underneath my stare. "I know giving up was mistake," She said after a long pause. I scowled at her and threw my arms up.

"You're damn skippy it was! What's the matter with you?! Matter of fact, what's wrong with all of you people here?!" I growled out, exasperated with these people and their way of thinking.

"It was stupid mistake, yes? Giving up on Shigure because I didn't think he loved me enough?" Karura said slowly. "Of course! You dying screwed up your kid's lives! All three of em'! I mean, do you see what Kankuro wears on his freakin' face? What is that? Who wears purple face-paint?"

Karura regarded me blankly. "Well….that's a good question but that's not what I was hinting towards…" She shook her head and waved my ranting about her kids off. "Just spit it out then, lady. We don't have all day to speak in riddles and rhymes," I huffed, crossing my arms.

Who knew when Temari and Shikamaru would be back? How was I going to explain talking to thin air? I could see Karura because I was a miko and she wanted me to see her. However, demons did not have pure enough souls to actually see the dearly departed unless I allowed it.

I pretty much sucked as a miko, now that I think about it.

Karura sighed and huffed, shaking her head at my ignorance. "Isn't it obvious? I'm using myself and my lost will to live and to love Shigure as an example for you," She told me, speaking slowly. It took me a moment but I was able to put what she was trying to tell me all together.

"I won't give up."

"Good. I have to go now. Would you tell Temari I love her and her brothers very much and that I'm sorry for leaving her the burden of raising them?"

"Of course."

Smiling, I watched as Karura shimmered and then faded away completely. I sighed and slumped against the headboard. I had to wonder, what would life be like for the Sand siblings if Karura had lived? She seemed like a nice and good lady.

Suddenly, I really missed my family. I had barely thought about them since I had arrived in the demon world. I couldn't even think what my life could be like if I didn't have my Mom present or if my Dad was psychopathic weirdo who was easily manipulated by his council.

I missed my Mom and her ability to always make me smile and I even missed my Dad scolding the living fuck out of me for doing something stupid. Hell, I even missed Hanabi and her adorable way of annoying the shit out of me. And Hinata, I think I missed her the most.

I missed her calling me every day, making sure that I hadn't somehow suffocated from the smell of cleaning products and bleach. Or how she would pop up almost every other day, helping my stubborn ass with bruises from boxing.

Again, I sighed. I missed my family a lot.

"We're back!" Temari suddenly threw the door open with a smile. I stared blankly at her slightly red face and Shikamaru's rumpled clothes. Oh, I so knew that they were just bullshitting and fooling around.

"Where's the food?"

"….."

I smirked victoriously as Temari muttered something and wheeled around, slamming the door shut behind her. "You guys must be a new couple. Still in the honeymoon phase, huh?" I snorted as Shikamaru ambled over to the bed I was on and sloppily threw himself down on it.

"Honeymoon phase, what is that?" He asked me, stretching his arms out across the bed. I lifted my leg for him and then settled it back down over his hand. "It's the phase in a relationship where the couple can't get enough of each other and think everything is just sunshine and lollipops."

Shikamaru grunted and I chuckled. "Did you and Gaara get to that point?" He suddenly asked, causing me to slightly choke on my spit. "What?" I snapped down at him, shocked at his question. In the course of an hour of knowing him, Shikamaru didn't seem the type to care about anyone's business so why the fuck was he poking his nose in mine?

"I've known Gaara for awhile and he never seemed the type to actually be in some sort of relationship, with a human, no less. But, it's highly unlikely that a human girl like you overpowered him and trapped in him the human world."

"….Did you just call me weak?"

"That's not the point."

I glared down at him and folded my arms across my chest. Speaking of which, Temari had to give me a different pair of clothes. There was no way in hell that this skimpy ass Star Wars wannabe outfit was the only thing in this damn Kingdom that could fit me.

"We never got to the honeymoon phase," I remembered his earlier question with a frown. "We had sex once, admitted our feelings for each other and then he had to leave. He was gone for about a month and came back to tell me he was leaving again and wouldn't come back this time."

"….Harsh."

"Tell me about it."

The room lapsed into a silence that was oddly comfortable. Maybe it was so comfortable because neither of us had anything to say and we were completely fine with that. Despite having just met Shikamaru, I liked the demon. He wasn't like the rest. Crazy as fuck.

Temari slammed the door open and the room bounced to life again.

I'm okay.

* * *

Naruto darted through the desert, hooded robe pulled over his golden hair. Branched out further were his childhood friends, Sakura and Sasuke. They had to find Gaara and they had to do it today.

Xin had already been missing into the kingdom for four days now. Naruto knew that with Xin's temper and mouth, she was probably on her way to death or at least knocking at it's door. They had to locate the idiot, drag his ass back and force him to get that damn miko so life could be peaceful again.

But he sure was a slippery bastard.

Suddenly, Sasuke stopped and that jerked Naruto and Sakura to a stop. "Sasuke-Kun?" Sakura called from her distance away. Naruto wasn't entirely sure why Sasuke was even there, searching for Gaara. The two demons weren't on the best of terms, if he remembered correctly. Hell, they hadn't liked each other from the start. Kushina once said it was because they were so much alike, they were rivals to one another.

Sasuke had denied that, of course. But it made sense if a person dwelled on it long enough. And Sasuke had only met Xin at least twice so far. The first when Sasuke and Sakura first arrived in Suna and the second when he helped her escape from Sasori.

So, why did he decide to help?

Sasuke was still strange.

"He's changed his location again. That way. He's closer," Sasuke pointed to the left, knowing his companions heard him over the loud winds. "What the hell are we waiting for!? Let's go before this bastard moves again!" Naruto shouted over the winds, taking off.

They had to get Xin back. Ever since those two idiots ended their short relationship, everything had been thrown out of whack. It was like the universe was trying to knock some sense into them.

They were meant to be together.

Naruto would _(as Xin would say)_ smack the bullshit out of them if they didn't get it together already.

* * *

Gaara growled, three people were approaching him. How the fuck were they able to keep up with him in the desert? For months, he was able to evade search parties by moving around the desert but somehow these three, whoever the fuck they are, managed to hunt him down and corner him.

He waited.

Ten minutes clicked by before he heard someone shouting from behind him. He turned around just in time to be tackled to the ground by none other than Naruto. The two demons rolled in the sand, shouting and hitting one another.

"You bastard! We finally found you!" Naruto screamed in his face once they settled. Gaara was completely and utterly dumbfounded. Standing over the two demons were Sakura and Sasuke.

What the hell were _they_ doing here?

"Get the fuck off of me," Gaara growled, shoving his hand into Naruto's face and pushing the blond back. Naruto sputtered something into Gaara's hand in protest but Gaara shoved him until he was off of him.

"What the fuck are you three doing out here?" He hissed, his eyes darting from the three companions. Out of the three, Sakura got on his nerves the least. She seemed to be the most level-headed and sane one of them all, even though she had violent out bursts. But c'mon, anyone would have violent mood swings when they're around those two.

"Gaara, you have to get your ass back to the kingdom," Naruto snapped in his face, blue eyes trained on him. "I don't have to do shit," Gaara rebuffed him, standing up and dusting sand from his clothes.

"But, Xin! She's…."

"None of my concern. I broke my ties with her long ago. I'm not returning to the human world," Gaara snapped before the blond could finish. This is exactly why he wanted to avoid Naruto the most. He knew that if the blond found him, he would start babbling about going back to Xin and making everything better. Bullshit that he didn't want to hear.

"Who said anything about the human world?"

Gaara paused, eyes shooting over to Sasuke. The Uchiha remained relaxed, arms across his chest. He seemed the least bit concerned about everything. Next to him, Sakura fidgeted nervously like a scared bird.

"_What?" _

Gaara slowly advanced on the Uchiha, a menacing aura surrounding his body. "Where the fuck is she if she isn't in the human world then, Uchiha?" He hissed at Sasuke. Sasuke only smirked at the Sand Prince.

"Suddenly you care now that she isn't in the human world?"

Gaara growled, wanting to rip the fucker's throat out. Cocky ass bastard. It was one of the many reasons Gaara disliked Sasuke so much. He was too damn cocky for his own good. But he had to think. Where the fuck was that damn girl then? She's obviously not in the human world and she can't be in the spirit world. She'd have to be dead and he highly doubted she would go down easily.

So, that left the demon world.

"I don't have times for games, Uchiha. Is she in the demon world?" He asked coldly, his eyes shooting daggers at the opposing demon. Sasuke scowled at him harshly and returned the glare. Sakura groaned, slapping her forehead. "I swear…every time…" She grumbled to herself, watching the two glare at one another. "Would you two cut it out? We don't have time to play the who has a more evil glare game!" The female snapped, stepping in between the two males.

"Sakura…" Sasuke began, trying to reach around her to continue glaring. "Sasuke-Kun, I mean it!" She barked, swatting at his shoulder. Gaara smirked in triumph. Obviously, he won due to Sakura's interference. Naruto smiled to himself, Sakura usually never raised her voice at Sasuke. Take that, ya bastard.

She suddenly whirled around to face Gaara, her face dead serious. "Sometime ago, Sasori went to the human world and brought Xin here," She began to explain, holding up her hand to silence any angry outbursts Gaara was about to release. "After being locked up, she managed to escape into the village where she hid out at Matsuri's inn." She continued with her story.

"Somehow, Matsuri figured out that Xin was in hiding and brought Sasori to the inn. Sasuke and I were able to get to Xin before him. Sasuke brought Xin to Chiyo's house and she hid out there for awhile….." Sakura suddenly looked down. "But, Sasori somehow found her again and this time was able to take her back to the kingdom." She sighed heavily, almost feeling guilty that Xin was at the kingdom.

"It's been four days since then. By now, she's probably almost dead. If you don't go back now, she will die." Sasuke told the Sand Prince coldly with no remorse. After hearing all of what Sakura had to say, Gaara began to put pieces together.

"Goddammit, Matsuri." He cursed the young girl. Now it all made sense why she had been asking him questions about Xin. What the hell had Matsuri been thinking? Why the hell would she help Sasori in finding Xin? Didn't she know that Sasori would kill Xin if he had the chance?

He was going to have to save the damn miko.

Again.

* * *

Xin hummed softly to herself in the hot spring, her dark hair pooled around her. Every other day, Temari would take her there to bathe. Sometimes the blond would bathe with her and other times, like now, she would leave her be and go spend time with Shikamaru.

Xin wasn't really sure what would happen if someone besides Temari and Shikamaru found out that she was bathing there. She was supposed to be locked in a cell somewhere but Temari only smirked and told her not to worry about any of that.

"_Like a bullet your love hit me to the core  
__I was flying till' you knocked me the floor  
__And it's so foolish how you keep me wanting more  
__I'm screaming murderer! How could you murder us?  
__I call it murder, no love allowed."_

"Lovely vocals you have, miko."

Xin's shoulders tensed and she slowly turned around to see Sasori at the door of the spring. She cursed to herself and quickly ducked down into the water, showing only her face to him. "I was wondering where the Hime hid you," He continued blandly, striding across the room to the edge of the spring. "You know Temari has been helping me?" She asked slowly, discreetly floating backwards.

Her body screamed, warning bells going off in her head. This man had defiled her body like the rest had done, shamelessly. She remembered sitting on the cage floor, hours after he left, trying to forget his poisonous touch.

"Her scent was over you after she bandaged your wounds," Sasori shrugged one shoulder. Through the steamy water, Xin looked down at her wrists. They were not bleeding anymore but they were still scarred. They would go away eventually, unlike the stitched scar on her stomach. It began at the bottom of her ribs and ran down her stomach, stopping at her hip.

Xin hated looking at herself. She did her best to avoid the mirror in Temari's room and asked the blond demon to bandage her wrists up even though the no longer bled. She didn't want to have to look at them. The constant reminders of the nightmare she had to live through.

"Are you going to kill me now?" She asked after a long pause, looking at him for the first time since he had invaded her privacy. Sasori folded his arms across his chest, placing his hands in the sleeves of his robes. "No. You aren't broken yet. You're determination to live will have to break first. Once you are broken, then you will die."

"You are seriously one sick fuck."

Sasori stared down at the woman, something strange flickering in his eyes. Xin stared back at him carefully, unnerved by his stare. Before either of them said anything, the door opened and in came Temari. The blond paused and her eyes zeroed in on Sasori, scowling harshly. "Hime," Sasori addressed her as if there wasn't a naked abused miko bathing. "Sasori," She scowled harshly at him.

"You're as bad as your brother, my Hime."

"Get out."

Sasori didn't question her command, he simply left like she had ordered. Once he was gone, she hurried over to the human, kneeling at the edge of the spring. "Are you alright, Xin?" She asked, worry clear in her eyes. Xin blinked long and hard and then shivered.

"I'm so cold."

* * *

Temari quietly wrapped Xin's wrist up, frowning. "They don't bleed anymore. You know we don't have to cover them up anymore, right?" She asked slowly, lowering the smaller girl's wrist.

"I know but they're ugly," Xin shrugged without any emotions. "They aren't that bad," Temari stood up with a shrug. "Yeah, sure." Xin replied, obviously not believing her. "Temari, there must be something in this damn kingdom that can fit me besides these bikini skirt things," Xin folded her arms across her chest with a huff and changed the subject before she got too uncomfortable.

She was starting to miss the genie clothes Chiyo had her running around in. At least they covered everything except for her stomach. Temari sighed heavily and eyed Xin up and down. She placed her hands on her hips. "If you had smaller hips like normal women, we could get you something. Not to mention that chest of yours," Temari huffed with an amused smirk. "Stop pointing them out! You're just lazy!" Xin accused the older woman.

"You overdeveloped midget!"

"You're just jealous!"

Shikamaru regarded the two females blankly. Days had gone by and the girls were becoming antsy with having to stay in the cramped room. "Yo, Temari." Shikamaru patted at the back of her thigh, trying to get her attention. "What?" Temari hissed, whipping around to face him. "Let's go for a walk," He suggested with a bored voice. Temari seemed uneasy with his suggestion but Xin visibly perked up with a smile.

"A walk…" Temari trailed off with worry. "Oh, fuck yes!" Xin clapped her hands together. "It's been so long since I actually felt the wind and sunshine," She began to babble out quickly. "I don't know if that's a good idea," Temari tapped her chin in thought. "You're supposed to be a prisoner, remember?" She pointed out, cocking her hip to the side. Xin instantly deflated, pouting.

"Just give her a robe to put on. We can't let you two stay in here any longer. You'll end up killing one another," Shikamaru grumped out, getting up and going to Temari's wardrobe. He rifled through her clothes and suddenly turned around with a light purple hooded robe.

"Problem solved."

"Oh my God, fuck yes!"

* * *

Xin bounced excitedly in between Shikamaru and Temari. "If you don't calm down, you'll draw attention to us," Temari scolded the girl as if she was a mere child. "Shut up, dammit!" Xin huffed, continuing with her bouncing.

Walking through the village, people stopped to bow at the Princess. They didn't question the fact that she was walking around with a hooded figure. "Can we please go visit Chiyo-Baa? She has these genie clothes that actually fit me," Xin patted at Temari's shoulder.

"Well, yes. I suppose we could do that," Temari nodded her head thoughtfully. Xin cheered again and followed Shikamaru and Temari as they veered off into a different direction for Chiyo's home.

The walk was quick and the only noise was Xin's constant bouncing. "Chiyo-Sama?" Temari opened the front door and stepped in, calling out for the old woman. "More visitors?" Chiyo crooned, popping up from nowhere. She was quiet as Xin pushed the hood back, revealing a smile. "Well! Look who's actually alive!" She beamed in excitement, grabbing Xin's hands. "Just barely," Xin snorted, smiling down at the old woman.

"Come along, girl. We have much to discuss. You'll tell me everything, understood?"

"Of course….but could I have some of those genie clothes you have?"

* * *

"Temari is assisting the miko?" Shigure asked curiously, his eyes not showing any signs of shock. Sasori folded his arms behind his back and nodded slowly. "It would seem so." Sasori answered after a moment's pause.

"What the hell is wrong with these kids?" Shigure mumbled into his palm. First, the brat gets distracted by the miko, then the middle boy is impressed by her fighting abilities and lets her go and now the eldest is actually helping her stay alive. Why the hell couldn't they just do what he told them to do?

What was it about this damn miko that had everything out of whack? She even had Sasori acting strange. It was her determination, he'd like to think. She had marched right up to him, kicking his golden sand everywhere to boot, and snapped at him.

Yes, it was definitely her determination and her ability to scream in anyone's face. He really wasn't too surprised that the youngest boy allowed himself to get distracted by her. She was an interesting girl. Short too.

She was barely 5'1", he was sure.

Shigure caught himself with wide eyes. Was he actually wasting his time with thinking about that goddamn girl? What the fuck was going on with life lately? Why did everything revolve around her?

She had to die.

If he had been paying more close attention to the things around him, he would have heard sudden shouting and Sasori turning towards the large doors with his head cocked to the side. The golden doors exploded open, slamming into the walls. Well, he was sure that was going to leave some dents in the wall. How unfortunate. A familiar face that he hadn't seen in a couple of months marched right into his throne room, looking quite pissed.

"Well, you finally decided to return, boy?" Shigure hummed calmly, dark eyes roving over his youngest son. "I thought," Gaara began icily. "We made a deal all those months ago when you summoned me the first time." He hissed through clenched teeth.

"We did." Shigure nodded slowly, not really sure what his son was trying to prove. "You said that if I came back to this world you would stop all your attempts in killing her," Gaara glared at him fiercly. "That's correct and we haven't made any attempts in killing her." Shigure shrugged, clearly not interested in the conversation. "Why the fuck is she here then? She doesn't belong here," Gaara hissed in anger.

"Now, Prince, you should keep your temper in check. You know how you get once you lose your temper," Sasori coolly interfered in the conversation, noticing just how angry Gaara was. "I will literally kill you right now," Gaara seethed at him, his eyes flickering to molten gold. Sasori chuckled and folded his arms across his chest. "You're beginning to sound like the miko," He continued to chuckled.

Gaara snarled at Sasori and almost threw himself forward to attack. Instead, he inhaled through his mouth and then wheeled back around to face his Father. In order to get the miko back to safety, he had to remain calm.

"Where the hell is she?"

Shigure shrugged one shoulder and snapped his fingers for a goblet of wine. "Ask your sister. It seems she has been keeping a close eye on your little toy. Find your sister and you will find your toy." Shigure revealed, not really caring. He would kill the woman eventually but it was best not to stir the boy's anger.

"She's not a toy."

"Oh? My mistake…"

* * *

Xin smiled widely to herself in the genie outfit. Although she had complained about the genie clothes, they were a lot more comfortable than the clothes Temari had given her. She waved to Chiyo as Temari and Shikamaru led her out of the house.

The sun had already started to set by the time they returned to the kingdom. Xin paused, feeling something waver. "Xin? What's the matter?" Temari asked, noticing Xin had stopped walking and was staring at the kingdom. Xin didn't answer; she only continued to stare at the kingdom.

Xin balled her hands into fists and her eyes glazed over. She could feel energies wavering from inside the kingdom. Something was going down and it was going down today. Steeling her nerves, she quickly moved forward, drawn to the crazed energies.

Temari and Shikamaru frowned similarly. Just as they were about to catch up with her on the stairs leading into the kingdom, a blur appeared before the small miko. The two demons gasped while Xin shrieked and stumbled backwards, nearly toppling down the stairs.

Sasori caught her wrist before she could go barreling down the golden stairs. Getting over her shock, Xin ripped her hand away, angering her scarred wrists. "Bastard," She hissed, stepping back a little.

"You should come inside before he finds you out here," Sasori replied coolly, ignoring her face. "I shouldn't do shit you say," She snapped, stabbing a finger into his chest. Temari jumped to her side, stretching an arm in front of the smaller girl and glaring at Sasori.

"If you lay a hand on her, I will kill you." She snarled at the older man. She wasn't protecting her for Gaara's sake anymore. In the time she's spent cooped up in the room, Temari had grown attached to the miko. Despite most of the time she was arguing with the miko, she had grown on Temari.

She couldn't let Sasori beat her into submission and eventually to death. Xin was good at putting a good front on but Temari knew her body was slowly breaking down to the constant abuse. One more beating or any more loss of blood and Xin was down for the count. She wanted everyone to believe she was a strong human girl.

But that was it. She was human. Her body, no matter how strong and in shape she is, was not built like a demon's body. Xin could have been the number one fighter in the world and it wouldn't have mattered. She was still human.

She will crumble eventually.

But if Temari just protected her until they could get everything fixed, everything would be fine. Hell, maybe Gaara would eventually come back and….

Temari paused, visibly freezing. Shikamaru and Xin both glanced at the blond with confused expressions. "Temari, what's the matter?" Xin barely got her sentence out before Sasori took Temari's distraction as an advantage.

He weaved around the Princess and gripped the small miko into his arms. "Forgive me, Princess, but I must obey your Father's orders above all else," He said simply, jumping away with Xin in his grasp.

"Goddammit! Let go! I swear to God, I will literally eat you," Xin growled, struggling in his grasp. Perhaps if her body didn't feel so heavy, she would have made a stronger effort. Unfortunately, she was still trying to recover from the harsh and brutal beating she took days ago.

"Orders are orders."

And with that, he vanished with the struggling miko. Temari cursed, slapping her forehead. "Temari, why the hell did you freeze up like that?" Shikamaru placed his hand on her shoulder. The sand blossom glanced at him, her eyes frantically searching him.

"You don't feel that? You don't smell his scent? You can't feel that pure anger radiating from inside? Xin noticed it first and I was wondering what the hell it was but I couldn't figure it out until I was close enough."

"Well?"

"Gaara is back."

* * *

"So…is there like a point to this? Is this where the plot thickens?"

Xin asked from the bottom on the stairs she was situated at. Above her in his God-like throne, Shigure tried to ignore her talking. She had been screaming nonstop since Sasori had dragged her back into the castle. On the bright side, she was talking like a normal person now and wasn't screaming like a tone-deaf banshee.

Xin pouted and looked down at her wrists. The white bandages had been removed and were replaced with thick ropes, opening up the old wounds and spilling blood to the floor underneath her.

She didn't understand why they tied her hands together and left her to sit there. Couldn't she just walk out of the place? Mm…perhaps not. She was beginning to guess that Shigure could manipulate the golden sand that dusted the throne room. If her ass twitched, the sand would probably have her ass locked in a coffin or something.

"Everything will fall into place. Give it some time and shut up," Shigure hissed down at her, dark eyes narrowed at her. "Excuse me for being bored out of my fuckin' mind you Nazi," She sniffed, turning around.

In the corner, Sasori chuckled dryly at her antsy behavior. "I don't see what's so fuckin' funny, you rapist. As soon as I get my spiritual energy back on point, your ass is mine. If you think I'm just going to take you raping me so easily…you've got another thing coming, you ungodly freak."

"I was only following orders to break you," He smirked at her. "News flash buddy, I was raped twice before and once before years ago. My mind is already damaged from that trauma. I told you there's nothing else you can do. You can't break what's already broken you fuckin' irk."

Before he could reply, the door suddenly opened and in came Kankuro. Xin smiled instantly when he came into sight. Perhaps he had some good news or something. Something to entertain her with, she was bored of just sitting around for nothing.

"I knew it," Kankuro growled with a tight jaw. His eyes darted wildly from Xin to Sasori and then his Father. "Have you completely lost it, Father? If he finds her like this, he'll probably kill us all!" Kankuro hissed, motioning wildly to Xin.

"Oi! I'm still pretty!"

Shigure ignored Xin's outburst with a roll of his eyes. "Kill us, you say? Let's hope, shall we?" He shrugged, clearly not interested in his son's worries. "He's gone soft these past couple of months, even before I sent him out. Earlier his rage was showing through his cracks but he was able to control it. I'm almost positive that if he finds her like this…his will to control his rage will snap and I'll be able to continue with molding him into the monster he is."

Xin folded her arms, well, she attempted to. She was stopped by her bound wrists. She cursed to herself and slumped down, clearly annoyed. "What in the seven fucks are you two talking about? It's rude to talk about people like that, ya know."

"Quiet, human. You will see soon enough."

Xin grumbled and looked down, noticing the binds digging deeper into her wounds. She had started to bleed and her ruby red blood made slow drips, splashing to the floor underneath her. "I'm going to end up bleeding to death…" She mumbled distastefully. She shook her head and sighed. "Kankuro, would you tell Temari that I'm fine and that your Father is an insane douche bag? Don't forget to say he's Hitler in disguise…" She trailed off blandly.

"Xin, you're bleeding. I don't think you're okay."

Xin rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I'm more okay than I was a couple days ago…" Xin trailed off, glancing at the puddle of blood at her feet. She frowned tightly as the room began to spin around her. She could hear Kankuro shouting something, maybe at Shigure or maybe it was at her.

Suddenly, everything stopped spinning and she felt herself falling off to the side. Everything felt so numb; she didn't even feel herself cracking her head against the stairs loudly. There was more shouting and she vaguely recalled hearing the doors bang open again. Everything was so blurry, her head was throbbing and she could feel something sticky on her head.

There was a sound of struggle and she saw a flash of red before she was being yanked upwards. Thick fingers tightened around her arms but she paid the pain no mind, she was simply trying to figure out who the hell was holding on to her.

The sticky substance tangled in her hair, matting the dark tresses together with blood clots. Streaks of red ran down from her head to the side of her face, dripping slowly on to her shoulder.

Xin tried to speak, tried to say something but realized that it felt like someone had stuffed cotton into her mouth and taped her lips shut. She tried to focus her eyes but it felt like she was trying to look out through a dirty fish bowl. She could make out one thing and one thing alone.

Sky blue eyes.

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

When I started to wake up, one thing registered to me. My head was hurting like good gosh darn. I groaned and weakly pressed my hand to my forehead, sighing quietly when the coldness of my hand soothed the throbbing pain in the middle of my face.

"She's waking up! Look, look! She's….would you wake the hell up, you lazy ass bum!" I heard Temari snap from the side somewhere. I heard her slapping the bullshit out of him and then him grunting in annoyance. "Pay attention!" She hissed.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ, shut up," I groaned loudly, pressing my hand harder to my face and kicking my feet out. I rolled on to my side and curled up in a ball, trying to block everything out. Temari shifted from wherever the fuck she was and came over to me, kneeling at the bed.

"Are you feeling okay, Xin?" She asked me softly, blowing her cool breath onto my face. Again, I sighed and buried my face into the pillow. "What happened?" I asked with a sleep thickened voice. I watched Temari look around nervously with one eye cracked open.

Shikamaru was suddenly there, sitting near my feet. "When you were around with Naruto and Gaara, did they ever explain demons and their obsession with territory?" He asked me slowly, turning to stare at me. I closed my eye in thought. It kind of irritated my brain to think about anything at the moment, but I raked through it.

"Naruto explained it to my sister and me once. I thought it was a load of bullshit and it gives me more reason to believe you demons are fruit loops crazy," I answered, slowly trying to sit up. Temari scrambled to help me, wrapping her hand around my back and holding most of my weight. "Why does my head hurt so much?"

"You fainted from loss of blood; luckily you didn't lose enough to kill yourself. But it was enough to make you fall over and crack your head on the stairs," Temari explained to me, trying to coax me into lying back down.

I fought it off and looked at my arm. Bruises lined my ashy grey arm, which confused me because they said I cracked my head on the stairs. Where had those bruises come from? Not that it really mattered, since my body was littered with yellowing bruises. But this new set was a vibrant purple that stood out. It was fresh.

"And those? Where did those come from?" I asked, motioning to them. Temari bit her bottom lip and Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "I couldn't have gotten them from hitting my head."

I suddenly felt a burst of energy that made me shudder from outside of the room. Temari seemed to notice something too because she suddenly looked at the door. Shikamaru grumbled something about _'being troublesome' _and then stood up from the bed, moving to the other side of the room.

The door slammed open just as I was about to talk to Shikamaru. I huffed and turned to the door, ready to bitch the person out. I was half expecting it to be Sasori because that bastard showed up just about everywhere. However, as soon as my eyes landed on the person, I paused with wide eyes.

Gaara.

Oh _fuuuck_ no.

The room lapsed into an awkward silence and I found myself shifting beneath the blanket. Temari fiercely held Gaara's gaze, standing up to her full height. "Gaara," She began calmly, squaring her shoulders. "If you're not calm enough, then you must leave. You already bruised her up." Temari ordered, looking at him coldly.

I gaped, looked at my bruised arms and then back at him. "You did this to me?" I hissed, kicking the blanket back. "You haven't seen me for damn there three or four months and the first thing you do when you finally see me is bruise the fuck out of me? Aren't the old bruises and scars enough?" I jumped up from the bed, pushing past Temari.

"What the fuck is your problem anyway? Where the fuck have you been? Why the hell would you go out into the desert? Honestly, who the hell stays out in the desert for God knows how long?! You didn't even bother checking in with Temari or Kankuro so they would know you were okay. Just because you're Dad is a cracked-out Nazi ass freak who doesn't give a fuck about his own children doesn't mean they don't care!"

If I had been paying attention, I would've noticed Temari grab Shikamaru and drag his ass out the room. But I didn't and they quietly escaped, closing the door and leaving me trapped with this psycho. Gaara scowled harshly at me. "What I do in my time is none of your concern," He snapped at me, folding his arms across his chest. "Dear Lord, you're impossible!" I snapped, throwing my hands in the air.

Something in eyes flickered and he was suddenly in my face. I let out a little shriek as he lifted my left arm and jerked it away from my body. He looked down and squinted hard at my stomach, scowling harshly. With his free hand, he traced the scar that spanned over my stomach. I gasped at his touch and slapped his hand away, breaking myself out of his grip. "Don't touch me," I hissed at him, holding my arms over my stomach.

He eyed my stomach and scowled angrily, shaking his head. "Don't tell me what to do you idiotic little wench," He hissed right back at me, barring his fangs. I huffed and shook my head. "Why the fuck are you even here anyway? I don't need you saving me," I reminded him blankly.

"Insolent fool, look where you're at without me."

"Look where I'm at _because _of you."

Gaara paused, clearly not expecting a reply like that. But I really didn't care, it was true. He wanted to come in here and rub it in my face at the state I'm in without him. Obviously he had forgotten that if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in this state to begin with.

"What happened to your stomach?" He suddenly asked, his face void of any emotion. I glanced down at the stitched scar and scowled. Just like I had suspected, it was permanently scarred. It would never go away and I would be forced to look at it every day.

"Sasori tried to kill me." I huffed as if it was simple. I think by now it was simple. How many times had Sasori tried me already? Too many times to count, I can tell ya that. Gaara's eyes narrowed but I only rolled my eyes.

"Well, thanks for getting me out of there, I guess?" I began awkwardly, glancing at my bruised arms. "But I'm fine now, so I'll just be going," I pointed to the door with a tight smile across my face.

Before I could even take a freakin' step, he grabbed me by my wrist and whirled me around. Instantly I snapped my wrist away from him with a scowl. "Stop touching me like that," I growled at him, pulling my hands to my chest protectively.

If he thought everything was going to be sunshine and lollipops now because he saved me from drowning in my own blood, he was sorely mistaken. It still didn't make up for leaving me to be raped and beaten repeatedly while he was out in the desert doing God knows what.

"Just so you know the minute I get a chance….I'm kicking your friend's ass." I suddenly said, hands folded across my chest. "What friend?" He asked, clearly confused. I tightened my arms across my chest and scowled harshly at him. "Matsuri, of course!" I almost yelled.

"She's the one who somehow figured out who I was and snitched on me, the fuckin' rat! When I get my spiritual energy back up, I'm handing her ass to her on a silver platter! Best believe that! That little crazy bitch!" I huffed with a red faced.

"This is your fault!" I directed the majority of my energy of him, catching him off guard. "What the hell did I do?" He demanded in annoyance. "She's in love with you! What's with these females and being crazy when they love you!? Oh my God, does that mean I'm crazy? Jesus Christ Superstar, this is your entire fault!" I began to babble, pulling at my hair in frustration.

"I had nothing to do with _your _insanity."

"Excuse me?"

"You…all of this," He motioned to me. "I had nothing to do with all of that. You were like that before I even had the misfortune of coming across you," He continued snidely while I glared blankly at him. This mothafucka…

I huffed and placed my hands on my hips. "You're kidding me, right? I was fuckin' fine before you came along with your bandwagon of freaks!" I began to say, frowning hard as shit.

"You're a five foot 2 clean freak psychopath who vents her anger and loneliness out by boxing people."

"That's not true at all!"

By now, I was standing with my chest almost pressed to his. It didn't really occur to me that I had gotten up in his face, finger ready to poke his fuckin' eye out. "I'm not a psychopath, I'm not angry and I am not a clean freak, goddammit!"

Gaara snorted and crossed his arms across his chest, leaning down towards me. We were nose to nose, glaring hatefully at one another. His body was hunched over mine due to our drastic height difference but I didn't give a flying fuck, it was his fault I'm fuckin' out of my mind. "It's lovely to know that charming personality of yours hasn't changed a bit," Gaara sneered down sarcastically. "I could say the same for you," I snorted back indifferently with a huff.

"Brainless bitch."

"Degenerate dick."

"Am I interrupting some freakish lover's spat?"

Gaara and I turned at the same time to see Temari poking her face into the room. My face turned red at the word 'lover' and I quickly stepped back from the tall demon. Gaara glanced back at me before turning to face his older sister.

"Lovers? Ha, as if!" I hissed nervously, turning my body away from Gaara. "Why would I make that mistake again?" I sniffed, ignoring the glare he shot at me. "You were right when you said I only wanted you for your body."

"Really? You really wanna bring that shit up?" I snapped, turning back around to face me. "What if I do? What the hell are you going to do about it? I can't even feel any of your spiritual energy, that's how weak you are." Gaara shot at me, smirking in my face.

"I am soo going to enjoy carving your fuckin' face like a Halloween pumpkin and putting it on display."

The room was quiet as the words of my threat sank in. Temari was pressing her fingers against her forehead in exasperation and Gaara was shooting more glares at me. I didn't give a fuck, he was pissing me off.

"Don't reply," Temari pointed at Gaara, who clearly had cooked up a snide reply. "Just come with me. I want to talk to you," She motioned for him to follow her out. "Shikamaru will watch Xin," She added in quickly, noticing Gaara glance at me.

"I'm not worried for her."

"Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, boo."

"Shut the hell up."

I could only grin as Gaara stomped out after his sister, gracing me with one last glare before storming away. Shikamaru ambled in a moment later, hands shoved into his pockets. I smiled brightly at him, happy to see someone who didn't bother the living fuck out of me.

"Your head is starting to leak again…"

Goddammit.

* * *

"Well? What do you want?"

Gaara stood at the large window in his sister's room, sweeping the curtains away to peer out into his village. Temari sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing her leg nervously and then sighing heavily.

"So, how's it feel?"

"How does what feel?"

"To see her after so much time has passed. She's changed a lot, hasn't she?" She began slowly, carefully looking at him. "She's still the same loud mouthed woman who refuses to just give up and die," Gaara snorted, folding his arms across his chest. Temari quietly snorted and shook her head. She wasn't stupid; she knew he hadn't meant that. If he had, he wouldn't have stormed into the throne room, thrown Kankuro aside, attacked the living shit out of Sasori and then got the unconscious woman out of there before she could bleed to death.

"I'm not talking about how she acts," Temari sighed in exasperation as if what she was hinting towards was obvious. "I'm talking about how she looks. She's lost a lot of blood these past couple of days. Most of her scars will go away but she'll always have that one on her stomach. And then there's the rape. She looks so pale, don't you think? Not her usual paleness. Like an ashy pale. Deathly."

She watched as Gaara's shoulders stiffened. He suddenly turned around, fixing her with a fearsome glare that just screamed _'murder'_. His light eyes flickered to the molten color of gold that only the Shukaku owned.

"_Rape?" _

A ball of fear settled into the pit of her stomach. Maybe she had said a little bit too much. It wasn't her fault he was being an emotionless jerk though. And she knew for a fact that the rape was not something Xin would bring up to him.

"Yes."

"Raped by whom?"

"It's not my business to tell."

"Temari…"

But his sister firmly shook her head and crossed her arms across her chest. Clearly, she was not going to tell him a damn thing. It really wasn't her place to tell. She had probably already gone too far by even mentioning it. Xin was going to be pissed the minute she found out Temari had let the rape slip.

"She talked to Mother."

The golden eyes quickly melted away, returning her brother to her. "Mother? She talked to our Mother?" He asked slowly, eyeing her carefully. Temari only nodded. "Temari….you were there when Mother died, correct?" He asked her carefully, questioning her sanity. "Of course I was there. I know she's no longer among the living but Xin can speak with the dead. She's a miko," Temari shook her head. "I doubt she can actually speak to the dead," Gaara snorted, leaning against the wall.

"Did you ever describe what Mother looked like to Xin?"

"No, I didn't think it was important."

"She described perfectly what Mother looked like. Down to the height, the shade of her hair. Even what she wore." Temari insisted with a set frown. "She even knew her name," She finished, playing with her thumbs. Speaking of Karura had been taboo among the kingdom for years. No one spoke of the deceased Queen for fear that the King (who had never gotten over her death) would snap and kill one of them for mentioning her.

Not even her kids spoke much about her.

And then here comes this loud mouthed little girl who just talks and talks if you give her a reason to. Not even caring of how it would affect them, she ignorantly mentioned their Mother as if Karura had been some common demon.

For a long time, Gaara didn't bother with saying anything. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? He had mentioned his Mother once or twice to Xin before but he had never said what her name was or even told the human was his Mother looked like.

And she was able to describe the smallest detail of her? What the hell was going on? Of course there were such things as spirits but demons didn't ever come into contact with them. Their souls were not pure enough.

But a miko….

Ah, now it made sense. A miko's soul is pure enough to see a spirit if their spiritual ability is strong enough. He wondered briefly what his Mother had talked about with Xin. He found himself cringing at the thought of Xin being so blatant and blunt in front of his Mother.

"Gaara….did you really only want her for her body?"

Gaara glanced at his sister for the first time since they had begun their conversation. She looked generally worried for the human's well-being. Both her mental and physical state. The two girls had grown quite close, apparently. According to his Father, Temari had kept Xin close to her side for awhile, keeping an eye on her while he stubbornly stayed in the desert.

His sister had done her best to protect the girl, patching her up to keep her from dying. She fed her and bathed her to keep her healthy. It was true that Xin was ashen gray and had a scar and a bleeding wound on the side of her head. But he knew Xin would have been worse if Temari had not interfered.

Despite whatever he felt for the girl, it didn't matter. Xin had made her choice when it came to him. She wanted nothing to do with him. She had blamed him for everything that had gone wrong, sheepishly thanked him for saving her and then tried to retreat away from him. It was clear to him. They were not meant to be together.

"It doesn't matter what I want."

* * *

_TeeBeMe: So, Gaara finally shows up. Too bad Xin and Gaara are still angry at one another but I couldn't just have Xin fall all over herself for him. She's still a stubborn idiot. That would have been too easy for them to make up so quickly. I wonder what's going to happen next._

**Xin: REVIEEEW!**

_TeeBeMe: Omg, you guys, I watched Rise of the Guardians a little bit ago and I looooved it. The Easter Bunny is my favorite character. Is it strange that I just adore the living fuck out of animated 6 foot tall Australian rabbit? You guys should check out that movie and Wreck-It Ralph! Until next time, my loves!_


	14. I just wanna scream what now?

_TeeBeMe: Hi everyone! Happy new year! 2013, we in this bitch! _

**Xin: TeeBeMe does not have the rights over Naruto, just the OCs and this story, enjoy.**

_TeeBeMe: Ahh, to jinxyourself, you told me to follow you on Instagram, so I'm pretty sure I did. You're the one with the face piercings I'm assuming. You, my dear, are one hot mamacita! lol_

* * *

Xin smiled widely as Shikamaru led her down the halls. Gaara and Temari had been gone nearly an hour and she had grown antsy in the room. She had laid down next to Shikamaru and kept poking him until he finally gave up and dragged her out of the room.

All she had wanted was a simple bath, jeez.

"I won't be long, okay? Come back in twenty-five minutes," She instructed the lazy demon as they stood in front of the steaming hot spring. "Fine, fine. Don't drown yourself," Shikamaru yawned, ruffling her hair and then ambling off. Xin huffed and tried to fix her rat's nest of hair, smiling wryly in Shikamaru's direction.

She unbraided her thick hair, letting it fan across her back. She pulled her clothes off and folded them into a neat pile before slipping into the hot waters, sighing heavily in content. Stiff muscles began to relax, causing her body to sag.

She spent a couple of minutes washing her hair, scrubbing at her scalp until it was ready to bleed. She was tired of braiding her hair into a dirty braid. She missed her girly shampoo that she used back home.

Moments later, she came up from the water. The woman wiped at her face, swiping the water out of her face. Xin took in gulps of breath, pushing herself to the edge of the spring and finally just relaxing for the time being.

"No singing today, song bird?"

She turned, eyes blank. Honestly, she wasn't surprised to see Sasori there. She was beginning to believe that she was a magnet that attracted either Sasori or Gaara to her. She was a beacon for danger.

"Were you looking forward to hearing another song?" She asked slowly, tangling her fingers in her matted and wet hair. Sasori shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the edge of the spring, close to her. She didn't move away or acknowledge the fact that he was near her.

"Well? Were you?" Xin pressed, not bothering to look at him. The steamy water did a good job in hiding her body from him. But she really wasn't concerned. It's not like he hadn't seen what she looked like before.

"I was." Sasori nodded carefully, looking down at her. Her neck and shoulders were riddled with old bruises. Bruises that he was responsible for. His stomach churned uncomfortably. His pulse quickened to an unknown drum beat. What was wrong with him?

"_Whatever it is, it feels like it's laughing at me  
__Through the glass of a two-sided mirror  
__Whatever it is, it's just sitting there  
__Laughing at me  
__And I just wanna scream_

_What now? I just can't figure it out  
__What now? I guess I'll just wait it out  
__What now? Ohh, what now?"_

Sasori tangled his fingers in her hair, curling the wet locks around his fingers. He tugged backwards, pulling her head backwards. "Sasori…" She trailed off, reaching to his hand tangled in her hair.

"Relax, song bird…" He hummed sensually, leaning down towards her face. "Sasori…let go…" She began to pull away, gritting her teeth when his grip in her hair tightened painfully. "Please, stop…" She dug her nails into his skin, wanting him to release her.

His eyes suddenly flashed dangerously and he barred his teeth at her. "What's the matter, song bird? Am I not good enough for you? I'm not your spoiled prince?" He growled at her, tightening his grip and wrenching her backwards.

She jerked half way out of the spring, her hands desperately clawing at his hand. "Sasori! Stop! It hurts!" She shrieked loudly, trying to break out of his hold. "Answer me!" He snapped, pressing his face into her damp neck. Xin continued to shriek for him to let go of her hair.

Xin tried to sink back into the hot springs, tried to pull him down into the water and to hide her naked body from her. But Sasori jerked harder, dragging her out until only her legs remained in the water. The small miko screeched again, kicking at the water wildly.

"Let go! Let me go!"

* * *

Temari shuddered, turning around and peering out of her bedroom. Gaara's shoulders tensed up as his sister strained her advanced hearing. "Someone is screaming…" She mumbled more to herself than to her brother. If it was possible, Gaara's body became even more rigid.

"Xin, check on her. Now." Gaara ordered, pointing to the basin of the clear water. On a regular basis, Temari would have scowled at her youngest brother. She was the eldest after all. She should be the one ordering him around, not the other way around.

But this was different. They had left Xin for a long period of time, Shikamaru could have fallen asleep. The she-demon was sure everyone knew where to look for the weakened miko. She was also sure that the miko was the main target of hate right now. The other demons would jump at the thought of beating and raping a miko.

She hurried to the corner, leaning over the basin. "Show me the miko, Xin." She tapped the surface of the water with her nail. Gaara joined her by her side, waiting quietly as the crystal-blue water rippled into the picture of Xin.

It didn't really show the entire thing. They could only see Xin's naked form struggling against something. It was almost too obvious that it was her, that scar on her stomach was an eyesore. And she was riddled with those bruises.

The miko was reaching behind her, screaming at someone who was dragging her out of the hot spring. Despite not having any clothes, she kicked her legs wildly and blindly clawed behind her, obviously screaming at her attacker.

"She's…" Temari began to say to Gaara, only to realize that her brother was already gone. She growled to herself and moved to the corner of the room, gathering a pile of clothes and towel that Xin would need in a few seconds.

This girl was a lot of trouble.

* * *

The screaming grew louder as he darted toward the hot springs. Before he even had the chance to come thundering in the room, he knew who was in there with her. He didn't know what the hell Xin thought would happen with allowing Sasori _(of all people)_ to be alone with her.

The guy was a nut.

He threw the door open, but it went unnoticed by the two other occupants. By now, Sasori had managed to pull Xin all the way out of the spring. His free arm had wrapped around the middle of her stomach, pressing her back into his chest.

The miko had tired herself out, weakly fighting against the older demon's efforts. "I don't understand what you want from me…" Xin trailed off, ceasing all her struggling to try and regain some sort of energy.

"You don't understand…" Sasori growled, digging his fingers in old bruises along her ribcage. Xin hissed, tears springing to the corner of her eyes. "If he hadn't come back…" Sasori began to growl but stopped, suddenly realizing that someone else was in the room.

He glanced over his shoulder, eyes landing on the Sand prince. "Well….look who it is," Sasori turned, barring Xin to him. "The subject of your affections, no?" Sasori cooed, pressing his lips to her temple. "Now, my Prince…" Sasori began, ignoring the crazed look dancing in Gaara's eyes. "How much does this woman mean to you?" He titled his head to the side, releasing his hold on her hair. He readjusted his grip on her, pinning her arms to her side with a smirk.

Gaara didn't answer, keeping his eyes trained on the miko and trying to regain his calmed breathing. He had to control his anger. If he let go of his anger and lashed out, there was a chance of killing her.

"She must not mean that much to you, right?" Sasori trailed kisses down the side of her face. Xin mumbled something along the lines of _'I'm going to gut you like a fish…', _but her threat went ignored. "You left her quite easily, didn't you? And you didn't even bother to make sure your Father kept his word, you tried to erase her from your memory. It was your fault she was raped and beaten. You didn't protect her like you promised," Sasori harshly reminded the younger demon with a scowl.

"Did you know….that before I came to her, she was already raped by two others? I don't know who, there's far too many whose willing to rape her. Such a pretty song bird, don't you think?" Sasori suddenly cooed, planting a kiss on her cheek. "In fact, if you had been born a demon, my song bird, you would have been quite a popular choice as a mate." Sasori buried his face into her neck.

Gaara heard one command in his head at the sound of the word 'rape'. One command from the Shukaku resonated in his head. His inner-demon snarled against his confines, wanting to be released to kill the bastard in front of him

_Eliminate. _

The young prince reacted with a loud snarl, bursting forward. Xin's eyes snapped shut instantly, fearing that Gaara would barrel into her. Instead, the demon prince grabbed her by her shoulder and snatched her from Sasori's grip.

She shrieked when he shoved her away. She fell to the rough ground, banging her knees into it and squealing loudly when the rough ground ripped through her skin. Her blood glittered brightly in the candlelight.

She heard a splash and looked up to see the two demons were gone, fallen into the water. Before she could say anything, she heard a shout from the doorway. "Xin! Are you alright? What happened?!" Temari shouted, thundering towards the human.

"Your knees…" Temari gaped at her bloodied knees, observing them. "They aren't too deep but we have to clean it up," She mumbled, holding the towel she had brought out for the young girl. At this point, Xin didn't even seem like she cared that she had been naked and showcased to two male demons that were _(at least) _sexually attracted to her.

The blond wrapped the towel around Xin's smaller body. "You're alright, okay? You're alright," Temari reassured the girl. Xin didn't say anything, firmly keeping her eyes trained on the spring. What was taking them so long?

Gaara suddenly jumped out, landing on his feet perfectly. His robes were soaked through, soaked to the bone. He fixed her with a stare, one that terrified the living hell out of her. There were too many emotions filtering through his normally calm eyes.

"She needs to bandage her knees up," Temari said slowly. She could see the look in Gaara's eyes. She knew that it was best that she did not touch Xin at the moment. Slowly, she stood up and backed away, hands in plan sight. "Temari…?" Xin croaked, slowly turning around to look at the blond. What was wrong? Why was Gaara looking at her like that? Why was Temari acting so careful around her? Where the hell was Sasori?

She shrieked suddenly, feeling herself being scooped up by the demon prince. "I….I can walk," She stuttered, her face brightening up. His hand was curled around her bare legs, his fingers digging into her soft skin.

He didn't answer her, deciding only to start walking towards his bedroom. The demon constantly threw looks down at her but she steadily ignored his gaze, blushing heavily. "Uh, thank you. For saving me, you know? I was really in some deep shit and I panicked and didn't know what to do and…" She trailed off, finally meeting his gaze.

Xin stiffened under narrowed golden eyes. He remained silent, finally stepping into his room and slamming the door shut with his foot. Her face remained bright red as he carefully placed her down on the edge of his bed.

Gaara turned away from her, grabbing a blood-red haori jacket and a roll of white bandages. He faced her again, shoving the haori to her chest. Xin bit her bottom lip but bowed her head in thanks, slipping the jacket on and held it closed with her hand. He knelt down in front of her, grabbing her leg to inspect her damaged knee.

"Ah…I can do this myself. You've done enough, seriously…" Xin trailed off slowly, reaching down to push his hand away from her leg. Gaara suddenly snapped up to her, barring his teeth with flashing golden eyes.

Xin instantly pulled her hand away, almost fearing he would bite her hand off. "Stop telling me you can do it yourself," He snapped at her, his voice gritty and gravely. She felt her already red face darken even more. She was fighting her attraction to him down and his gravely voice was doing a great job with turning her on.

He worked on her knees quietly, carefully wrapping them up. He concentrated on his task, treating her as if she was a fragile China doll. She recalled, vaguely, that he compared her to a pretty China doll, once. Yeah, bloody and bruised, she wasn't looking so pretty now.

Once Gaara was done, he remained in his position. His eyes, that were still golden, were trained solely on her. They were boring into her soul, tearing her at the seams and trying to find something that she wasn't even sure if it was there.

"You were raped."

Her body tensed up and she found herself fisting her small fingers into the fabric of the haori. She bit her bottom lip, almost drawing blood. She should have known that he would ask about that. He would eventually find out about the horrors she had to endure as a prisoner.

"I was. Three times." She answered, not really seeing a reason to lie. "By whom?" He inquired in an eerily calm voice. "Sasori already admitted to raping me. And he said the other two were guards. One guard had a scar on his chin that looks like a crescent moon and the other had a streak of gray hair in the middle of his hair…" She described, trying to remember the faces she had been trying to forget.

He remained quiet, watching the obvious tics in her face. She was becoming uncomfortable with talking about it. Her eyes were slightly wide and had a foggy look in them, as if she was remembering something. He had no doubt in his mind that she was relieving it all.

"Four times, now. I have dreams about them, now. I haven't slept through the night in days. I feel bad cuz' I wake up Temari and Shikamaru and they have to come sit with me for a little bit. I feel like they'll come back and do it again and I just don't want it. And Sasori beat the living hell out of me after I…" She suddenly paused, her hands pressed to her cheeks.

His hands curled around her legs, urging her to continue. "After you what?" He pressed, eyes digging deeper into her soul. She bit her lip again and looked away, pressing her hands harder to her face.

"When he was…" She motioned to her body, not wanting to really repeat it. Gaara nodded, knowing what she was talking about. "I moaned a name out and it made him angry…so he beat the living shit out of me. That's where most of these bruises came from. But some are from those two guards. They really enjoyed using my body as a punching bag…" She trailed off, running a finger up her bruised arm.

"What name?"

"Ah…."

"What was the name, Xin?"

He watched slowly as she rolled her lips together and then began twisting the fabric of the jacket in her hands. She looked off the side, a bright red blush streaking horizontally across her face. The woman ducked her head down, embarrassed.

"It was yours…"

"What…?"

"I said your name, okay? I said your name when he was raping me." She huffed loudly, turning her body away. Gaara blinked long and hard, his eyes finally fading back to his own eye color. He reached forward, grabbing her hips and twisting her back to face him. She squealed loudly and began to push his hands away but stopped when he growled at her. He was warning her to cooperate.

For once, she actually listened.

"Why?" He demanded, pinning her with a hard gaze. "Why what?" She scowled at him, folding her arms across her chest. His fingers dug into her hips, pressing into bruises that were already formed there. She instantly began to hiss at the pain. Noticing her distress, he loosed the pressure but kept his hands firmly planted on her hips.

"Why was it my name?" He pressed on, wanting to know her reasoning for saying his name during the rape. Did she imagine it was him who was raping her? He would never…well…he wouldn't rape her. But he knew putting off his desires for too long could have resulted in an involuntary rape. He wouldn't willingly rape her. He loved her.

He wouldn't say that out loud, though.

"Because…." She trailed off, not meeting his eyes. "I…just…" She fumbled over her words, trying to find her reasoning. "You were the only one I was with who didn't rape me. I felt safe with you. I had feelings for you. You were a comforting feeling for me. Moaning your name and forcing myself to think it was you instead of Sasori or those guards made me feel better about myself…."

Gaara let her words sink in. He thought them over for a long time. "Your feelings are completely gone?" He asked after a moment's pause. He had to know if the feelings she once had for him were all gone. If they were gone, it would be easier to let go of her.

"I tried to convince myself they were gone. And for awhile, I believed they were gone. It wasn't until I was being raped the first time here, when I quietly begged for you to come that I realized that the feelings will probably never go away."

He stared into her eyes and noticed they were no longer full of hope like they were some time ago. He remembered feeling uncomfortable when she looked at him because she always had this hopeful and pure look in her eyes.

They were gone.

Gaara couldn't find the hope or the pure spark. She had suffered too much, gone through too much. She was no longer hoping for anything at this point. If something happened to her, it would just happen. She didn't hope to die, to be saved, or to go home. She didn't hope for anything.

He reached forward, cupping her face. Pulling her close, he brushed his lips along hers. Her body stiffened and he paused, his lips still pressed against hers. Instead of attacking him and snarling at him like she had done before when he touched her, she placed her hands on his shoulders and pressed closer to him.

She murmured his name against his lips, pulling him closer until he was straddling her small body. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself tight against him. She could feel him running his fingers through her slightly dry hair and pressing his lips to her neck.

His free hand ran down her body, gripping her thigh. "Open," He ordered simply, squeezing her thighs. Under his hand, her leg twitched slightly and he quickly pulled her leg. Gaara dragged his fingers up her thigh, meeting her center at the apex of her thighs.

"You're wet already," Gaara commented without any emotion. The demon watched quietly as the miko's face burned brightly like a flickering flame. "Was it this easy for Sasori to arouse you?" He asked indifferently, staring down at her.

Her eyes widened and then a second later, they narrowed dangerously. "Of course not, you fuckin' prick!" She hissed at him, trying to wriggle away. Gaara shrugged with a frown. "It's not like your body could tell you were being raped. Mentally you didn't want it….but physically…" He continued, watching her expression.

"Are you kidding me? Fuck you, ya fuckin' twat!" She continued to hiss at him, her face burned even more. Gaara chuckled in amusement above her. That's the girl he wanted to see. The one who glared at him angrily and cursed her head off. Not that sad excuse shell of a woman she had been five minutes ago.

"That's my girl…" He hummed, almost too soft for her to hear. But she did hear, and it made her frown. "You have me mistaken…" She mumbled, looking away with a dark expression. Gaara stared down at her, fingers digging into her thigh, and tilted his head to the side.

"Stop touching me like this!" She suddenly snapped, springing up to shove at his chest. "Who the fuck do you think you are? You think just cuz' you saved my ass from another beat-down or rape, it gives you the right to touch me as if nothing changed?" She hissed, gathering the haori securely around her chest. "I'm not like the rest of the psycho ex-girlfriends you have that'll just spread her fuckin' legs open just because you decide to give me a little bit of attention, you sand freak!"

Gaara sneered at her, grabbing her by the haori and pulling her forward. "You'd spread them for Sasori, I assume," He shot bitterly, glaring into her light eyes. She only scowled harshly in return; he was throwing low blows at her? Well, two could certainly play at that game.

"At least he gives me the time of day frequently, you prick."

"Perhaps I should fish him out of the hot spring and give you back to him, then."

"Maybe you should!"

They glared hatefully at each other. Xin didn't even bother to back down when she noticed Gaara's eyes starting to shift to resemble the Shukaku's eyes. "You'd rather go to someone who's physically abused your body until you could barely stand?" Gaara snarled into her face. "I'd much rather deal with the physical pain he's given me than the mental and emotional pain you've left me with."

"You're legitimately insane, aren't you?"

"Nope. Well, maybe."

She got up and moved away from him towards the mirror. She huffed and attempted to fix her tangled and matted hair. "Judging by the way your hair looks, I'm pretty damn sure you don't own a brush." Xin grumbled loud enough for him to hear, her fingers tangled in her dark mane.

She gasped loudly when a wooden brush clunked her on the back of her head. "Did you just throw that at me?" She growled, glaring at him. Gaara merely shrugged and reclined on his bed, not a care in the world. "You asked for it."

Xin huffed and snatched the brush up, whipping back around to brush all the knots and kinks out of her hair. Her scalp was still sore from all the pulling Sasori had done earlier, she noted glumly.

"What do you think is wrong with Sasori?"

"What are you talking about now…?"

The human miko rolled her eyes and sagged her shoulders. "I'm talking about how he's been acting strange, obviously," She pulled a thick lock of hair over her shoulder and brushed it continuously even though there were no knots.

All she got in return from him was a blank look. It caused her to sigh heavily and sag her shoulders for a second time. "Don't you think it's strange that one minute he says he wants to kill me but then the next he's asking for me to sing for him? You don't think that's strange?"

"I think it's strange that you sang for him knowing he's psychotic…"

Xin whipped around and beamed the brush at Gaara's head. "You're missing the point, dammit!" She hissed, mentally smirking when the brush cracked against Gaara's forehead. "What the hell?!" He hissed, rubbing his face as Xin regarded him with her hands on her hips.

"Serves you the fuck right…" Xin huffed, jerking her face away. "Insolent woman.." He grumbled, rubbing his sore forehead. "Quit bitching. I'm the one who cracked my fuckin' head against your Dad's golden staircase. Where the fuck does he get all that gold to melt down into stairs and thrones, anyway? You'd think with all that gold, the village would be a lot more rich and wealthy," She began to ramble.

"You didn't get a chance to start bitching, you were unconscious as soon as you hit the stairs, you idiot. And stop rambling!" Gaara ordered with narrowed eyes. "Don't tell me what to do, you insomniac fucker." She stuck her nose in their air while Gaara regarded her with annoyance.

"Can't you hold a least one conversation without hurling an insult like that?" Gaara massaged his temples. "Why? Are they hurting your feelings?" Xin smirked at him, cocking her hip to the side. "No, it simply reminds me that I have to deal with a child. I hate children."

"Oh, fuck you."

"I've gotten enough from you."

Xin's eyes flashed and she suddenly stormed over to him. Her hands swooped down, planting on his chest. Shockingly, her hands began to glow. She hadn't had the strength to tap into her miko abilities for the past couple of days. But her spiritual energy was most likely in tuned with her fleeting temper.

"Listen here you fucker, and listen good. It was one night and I was being weak at the moment. Don't get it fucked up. It meant nothing to me, so I'm thinking you should be a good little demon and stop bringing it up before I bash your head into a wall."

Gaara regarded her coolly, her purification spell was beginning to make his chest itch. While it was not strong as it used to be, it was quite annoying. "So, what you're trying to tell me is that it meant nothing to you." He replied calmly, hands slithering around her wrists.

"Absolutely nothing."

"Oh? And that kiss earlier?"

"Oh, that was shit. Moment of weakness."

Gaara snatched her hands up and she tumbled to his chest with a small _'oomph'_. "I don't believe you at all. You're a terrible liar," He shot down at her as she huffed and puffed, blowing strands of hair out of her face. "Your face is terrible! And besides, why would I have to lie? What do I have to hide?"

"That you still love me, of course."

"Ha! Lies! Lingering feelings, perhaps. But love? Not even."

"Why are you so stubborn to admit the truth?"

Xin scowled harshly at him and struggled to pull her wrists away from him. But Gaara only readjusted his grip on her tighter and yanked her closer to him. "Well? Answer the question, doll."

Her eyes flashed in anger and he swore they began to emit an eerie purple aura before they vanished. "Because you betrayed me, goddammit! You lied to me just like the rest! In fact, you're worse than them! You said you'd protect me and I would be your mate! But you lied! You left me for that month without any word and then you suddenly show up again and say you're leaving for good," She suddenly snapped at him, barring her dull teeth.

"Lee told me that for to get happiness, you have to work for it. But what's the point of that? What type of piece of shit happiness is this? What the hell did I do to deserve this, anyway? How come you're not the one suffering? You don't even seemed bothered that we don't have what we had three months ago. You didn't even bother to check if your psycho Nazi Father kept his word and left me alone. Maybe if you had, this could have been avoided. All of it."

"Who the hell said I'm not bothered by any of it?"

Meanwhile, outside of his door, Temari, Kankuro and Shikamaru were pressed against it. They had been wondering what all the shouting had been about and had come to investigate. Well, Shikamaru was dragged by Temari, but he stayed nonetheless.

"I don't understand Xin," Kankuro frowned, trying to speak in whispers. "What don't you get? She basically spelled out her problem with Gaara," Temari rolled her eyes, leaning away to fold her arms across her chest. "But she admitted to having lingering feelings but then she said she doesn't love him. Isn't that the same?" Kankuro titled his head to the side while Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

"Having lingering feelings and being in love with a person is something completely different! They're lingering, meaning those feelings are slowly starting to fade away. She's trying to tell Gaara that while she still has some feelings left, they're going away." Temari explained, looking at the two men as if they were idiots. "Which is complete bullshit because she admitted that she still loved him to me..."

This time, Shikamaru frowned in confusion as well. "If that's the case, why is she denying it now?" He prompted, causing his lover to roll her eyes at him. "Isn't it obvious?" She huffed, shaking her head. Kankuro and Shikamaru exchanged looks before turning back to her to shake their heads.

"You guys are so stupid," Temari huffed while scowling. Why the hell was she surrounded by idiots all the damn time? She'd never know. "Xin is almost the same way any regular demonic male or female, even. She has too much pride. She won't admit that she still loves Gaara if he won't admit that he still loves her," She explained quickly, pressing her ear to the door.

"Now, shut up, I think Xin is saying something…"

Just as the two other demons were pressing their ears to the door, they heard someone clear their throat. The three turned to the side to spot Matsuri standing in the hall nervously. Temari instantly frowned and raised an eyebrow. She had never really cared for the demon girl before but now that Matsuri had sided with her Father and ratted Xin out, she didn't like the little traitor.

"Ah, sorry to disturb…"

"Gaara and Xin's love quarrel."

"Their….their _what_?"

Matsuri gaped at Temari. Gaara was back? And he was having a lovers' quarrel with that damn human miko? Why the hell was that human still alive? She should have been died from blood loss, a shattered mind or starvation!

"You heard me, Matsuri," Temari hissed at the younger demon. "He's in there with….her? Why? Why is he in there with her?" Matsuri curled her hands into fists and held them to her chest. All she had done to keep that vile woman away from her Prince were wasted!

"I don't know why my little brother does half the things he does. He dragged her in there…naked…so…" Temari trailed off with an impish grin. Shikamaru looked in between Matsuri and Temari. Obviously the demonic princess did not like this demon woman from her expression.

"Naked?" Matsuri nearly shrieked, losing the color in her face. "Is there a specific reason why you're stopping us from eavesdropping on our brother?" Kankuro suddenly butt in the conversation. If Matsuri didn't stop screaming and shut the fuck up, Gaara was bound to hear them outside of his room. And then they wouldn't be able to find out what would happen between him and Xin.

Matsuri frowned and squared her shoulders. She couldn't seem weak in front of the two royal siblings. They'd never accept her if they thought she was weak. And she was sure if they didn't approve of her, then Gaara would probably listen to them and cast her aside.

She'd be damned if she let that happen.

"Right…" She paused. What in the world was Gaara doing in there with that woman? And she was naked? She had been so close to death and yet she was in there with him without any clothes on. Perhaps she was trying to seduce the Prince again.

"Your Father has requested the presence of you, Kankuro-Sama and Gaara-Sama," Matsuri glanced at Gaara's door. "What does he want now?" Temari hissed, turning back towards the door. She began to savagely beat on it. "Gaara! Our Father wants to see us now!"

An annoyed growl could be heard from the room before the door swept open and Gaara stormed out. The four demons peeked behind him to see Xin had her back turned with her hands on her hips, the haori slipping down her arms to reveal her healing bruised shoulders.

He snapped the door shut and shot them all annoyed glances. He noticed Matsuri standing there and shot her a dirty look. "Matsuri, I will deal with you later," Gaara growled, stepping closer to her to stand over her and deliver a fierce glare. "But…Gaara…" She began, only for him to walk away.

"That was rather cold of him, don't you think?" Temari chuckled sweetly and followed her little brother, Kankuro trailing behind her. "I suggest you vanish off somewhere before Gaara comes back and suffocates you for having a hand in this," Shikamaru motioned in Xin's direction before walking off to Temari's room.

Matsuri didn't know what to do.

* * *

Gaara stood in the middle of his siblings, the only one not bowing. He stood defiantly with a bored expression, arms folded across his broad chest. "What do you want, old man?" He sneered at his Father, in no mood to deal with the crazy king.

"Ever since you were children, you were raised to believe that humans were selfish and worthless pieces of space, correct?" Shigure asked coolly, staring down at his children. He was mainly focusing on Gaara. Out of all of them, he least expected his ruthless youngest son to become attached to some human. A miko, no less.

"That's correct, Father…" Temari replied, knowing her brothers wouldn't answer. "Of course you have. Every demon knows that humans are weaklings that deserve death," Shigure began, leaning on the arm of his golden throne. "So, I simply can't fathom why not one, but all of my children have been attached to this human bitch," He snarled down at them, eyes narrowing.

Gaara glared hatefully at Shigure while Temari looked away and Kankuro stared past him. "First, I send my youngest son to get rid of the filthy race but she steps in the way and somehow seduces him into becoming attached to her. Then, I send my middle son to get rid of her but he becomes impressed by her fighting abilities and leaves her alive. And finally, after I've gone through the trouble of beating her within an inch of her life, my eldest daughter decides to come to her aide and takes care of her in secret! Can the three of you explain any of this…_betrayal_?" Shigure continued to snarl down at them, barring his teeth down at her.

"You wouldn't understand, Father. You're too much of bigot to understand why we decided to help her. And for the last time, her name is _Xin. _Not 'bitch', not 'miko'. It's Xin," Temari spoke first, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I don't give three fucks about her name, Temari. I want answers and I want them now. What is so special about this woman that it has the three of you acting so backwards?" Shigure snapped at Temari, eyes blazing. She almost felt like shrinking back under his fierce gaze. But she reminded herself, she was the eldest. She was not going to show any signs of weakness.

"She's different," Kankuro suddenly shrugged. "I like her. Like you said, we were raised to believe that humans are selfish, stupid, greedy pieces of filth that take up too much space. Well, I'm pretty sure she proved that belief wrong. I think that's why we like her so much," Kankuro frowned thoughtfully. "What do you think, Gaara? Why do you like having her around so much?"

Gaara was quiet for the longest time. He stood silent with his arms folded, his face blank. His siblings were about to believe that he wasn't going to even bother answering the question, but he surprised them with one simple sentence.

"She doesn't fear us."

Shigure stared quietly at his son, trying to comprehend the simple sentence. "She's faced death several times and has not shown fear. She's allowed me into her dwelling without thinking of the dangers and consequences it could bring. She's a different person. Xin is interesting."

"And if you kill her….I _will_ kill you."

* * *

Xin hummed to herself, creating a beat by tapping her hands on her thighs. She really wished she had some clothes to wear. Gaara's haori hid her for the most part, but she would feel much better with pants on right about now.

Gaara had been gone for about twenty minutes and boredom was beginning to take its toll on the girl. This had been the longest she'd gone without anything happening to her. She was half expecting Sasori pop out of nowhere, ready to rip her hair from her scalp.

She didn't know why Gaara wouldn't acknowledge Sasori's strange behavior. Xin just didn't understand. He had been the main one torturing her before Temari came to her rescue. But back in the hot spring, before Gaara had showed up, he started to ramble about not being good enough for her because he wasn't the Prince.

What the hell had he meant?

Didn't he understand that he had tried to kill her? That he even went as far as raping her just to try to fuck her thin line of sanity up? Hell no, he wasn't good enough for her! He wanted to kill her!

Or did he?

She really didn't know what Sasori wanted anymore. The same went for Gaara too. Before Temari had started to bang on the door, he suggested that he did care about her. That he was bothered by their shattered love affair. Did he still have feelings for her? Then why was he being so combative with her? Ugh, he made as much sense as Sasori right now.

What the hell was with those two red headed fuckers?

Before she could carry on with her musings, the door creaked open. Xin groaned, dreading that it was Sasori, come to snatch her fuckin' eyeballs out or something. That demon's emotions were all over the place.

"I found you!"

She whipped around at the voice and shouted loudly when she spotted Naruto standing at the door. "Oh my God! Naruto!" She squealed, running over to him and flinging herself at him. The big blond caught her effortlessly and wrapped his strong arms around her, hugging her small form to him.

"You're alive!" He cheered into her hair, swelling with happiness. After Gaara had vanished into the kingdom, he had gone back to Chiyo's home with Sakura and Sasuke. But hours turned into a new day and he started to worry when Gaara didn't emerge with the miko.

"What are you doing here? Where's Hinata? You didn't leave her by herself, did you?" Xin began to shoot off questions. He found it so cute and amusing about how both twins worried for the other. "I came to make sure you were alright! Gaara didn't send any word that he found you and that you were alive, so I came to make sure," He began to explain, refusing to let her go and dangling her off of the floor.

In the year that he had lived in the human world, he had become close to the obnoxious miko. While he loved her sister _(he wasn't a stubborn idiot. He knew that he loved the_ _peaceful miko),_ he had grown quite close to Xin. Almost viewing her as a sister. So he had been quite worried and now that he discovered that she was alive, he just wanted to keep hugging her.

"Hinata is fine, she's in the demon world," He began to explain, only to be cut off by the miko in his arms. "Are you insane? You brought her here? Sweet Jesus…!" She began to shriek, trying to break his hold. "Shut up, damn! You didn't let me finish," Naruto whined, shaking her in order to shut her the hell up. "She's in the demon world but I left her with my parents in Konoha. She refused to stay behind in the human world and I damn sure wasn't letting her come here," Naruto explained to her, watching as she sighed in relief.

"Good. I don't know what I'd do if the same thing that happened to me happened to her here. These people are brutal…." She started to mumble. Naruto frowned in worry, slowly placing her down. "What did they do to you, Xinny?"

Xin sighed, lightly kicking her legs in the air for no reason. "I don't want to talk about it right now," She mumbled, looking down. "Well…okay. You want to talk to Hina?" Naruto asked slowly, watching as her head whipped up quickly. He swore he heard her neck crack.

"But she's in Konoha, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but you seen that basin of sparkly water in Temari's room?"

"Oh my God, yes. I want to dunk my fuckin' face in that thing."

"Shit, me too!"

Xin grinned widely. She really missed Naruto, now that she thought about it. During her stay in Suna, she hadn't thought too much of the blond, but now that he was here with her, she really missed the stupid but sweet demon.

"Anyway," Naruto mimicked her grin full-force. "Chiyo-Baa has the same one at her house. Except she can contact people with her basin on sparkly water. Temari hasn't learned how to do it yet, that's why she didn't bother asking, probably." Naruto explained to her quickly.

"Jesus! Yes! To Chiyo-Baa's!"

* * *

"You know…we should have probably found some shoes for me to wear...and some clothes…."

Naruto landed in front of Chiyo's home, carrying Xin. She was still dressed in the same red haori. And that was it. In their excitement to come into contact with Xin's worried twin, they had rushed straight from the kingdom, forgetting that Xin was naked under the haori.

"Maybe Chiyo has some clothes for you," Naruto laughed nervously while placing Xin on the ground. Xin only nodded and obediently followed the burly blond into Chiyo's dwelling. "I'm back!" Xin shouted loudly, alerting Chiyo, Sasuke and Sakura.

"Oh! Sasuke! Sakura!" Xin exclaimed with an excited smile as the two other demons stood up. "Xin! You're alright!" Sakura shouted in glee, gripping the smaller woman up in a hug. "Of course I am. Why is everyone so surprised that I'm alive? What do you take me for?" Xin pouted in Sakura's arms.

"A human," Sasuke shrugged, standing next to the two females. "Ah, nice to see you too, Sasuke," Xin greeted blandly; hand on her hip as soon as Sakura released her. "Did the Prince find you, girl?" Chiyo suddenly popped up in Xin's face.

"Of course he did," Xin rolled her eyes. "I'm a magnet for danger. Especially when it comes to either him or your bastard grandson," She shook her head and cocked her hip to the side. "That boy has some seriously psychological damage, I'm telling you," She continued to speak with the older woman about her deranged grandson.

"I blame the King," Chiyo waved it off, not too concerned about Sasori. "Oi, Chiyo-Baa, can we use your basin to contact her sister in Konoha with my parents?" Naruto suddenly asked after getting his share of glaring at Sasuke. "Well, I suppose. Just don't dunk your face in it," Chiyo shot a meaningful look at both Xin and Naruto. The two simply grinned innocently. "We would never do that," Xin sung as she followed behind Naruto.

"Those two are so much alike, it's creepy."

"The world doesn't need another idiot like that dobe…"

Meanwhile, Xin and Naruto peered over the basin on water. It was much larger than the one Temari housed in her room. Xin stared into the small pool with wide eyes, her reflection staring back at her perfectly. She hadn't realized how bruised her face had been. But those bruises were slowly healing, fading into a light yellow before they would eventually vanish.

Naruto leaned forward, tapping the water. "Come into contact with Minato and Kushina," He spoke to the bright water, watching as it rippled. Xin frowned in confusion and waited as the water slowly stopped rippling, revealing Kushina's surprised face.

"Ah, you're still alive," She commented, eyes slanted towards her son. "You sound disappointed, Mom," Naruto grinned down at the reflection of his Mother. The redheaded woman shrugged blandly and then noticed Xin next to her son. "Nee, is that Xin-Chan? You're alive! Thank whatever Gods you humans believe in!" Kushina cheered, pumping her fists into the air.

Xin smiled weakly with her eyebrows drawn together. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" Xin whined and pouted, folding her arms across her chest. "I personally know Shigure. He is not the kindest man to the human race," Kushina's face suddenly turned serious, as if someone had pressed a button to change her mood.

Naruto elbowed Xin's side and grinned down at his Mother. Its best if they changed the subject before Xin got depressed and killed her in a corner or something. "Where's Hinata, Mom? Xin wants to talk to her," Naruto quipped happily, excited about seeing the peaceful miko.

"Ah, hold on." Kushina vanished from view. She returned moments later with Hinata in tow. As soon as Hinata saw her sister's face, she gaped in surprise. "Xin! Oh my! Are you okay? You're bruised all over!" Hinata began to worry, pressing her hands to her mouth in worry.

"I'm fine, Hina. Don't worry. They're old. Can't even feel them anymore," Xin grinned at her panicking sister. "Are you sure? I really wish I could hug you right now," the corners of Hinata's eyes began to fill with water as she stared hopelessly at her sister.

"Ne, ne. Don't cry, sis. It'll be okay! I'll be there soon, okay?" Xin smiled weakly at her sister's watery eyes. Hinata wiped at her eyes, trying to bat away the tears. But her emotions were overwhelming her. She was finally able to come into contact with her sister who had been missing! She was just a bundle of emotions.

"Okay," She sniffled, rubbing at her red face. Naruto stepped aside to let the twins talk all they wanted. They jumped from one subject to another, telling each other about everything they missed with Xin being locked up in Suna.

Naruto noticed the sun was beginning to set and he knew it was time to take Xin back to Gaara. Softly, he nudged her side and she understood. "Oi, Hina? I've gotta go. But don't worry, okay? I'll be fine. I'll see you soon. I love you, Hinata."

The water rippled again and Hinata's reflection faded away. Xin leaned back and sighed softly and sadly. "Man, I just wanna go home," She mumbled to herself, turning away and padding towards Chiyo to bid her a good night.

"You stay safe, silly girl. Don't die, I like you too much," Chiyo patted Xin's shoulder. Xin chuckled and cocked her hip to the side. "I'll try my best. No promises, though," She grinned down at the elderly woman before exchanging another hug with Sakura.

Back to the kingdom.

* * *

Just as Xin and Naruto came close to Gaara's room, Xin snapped her fingers. "Oh, damn. I forgot to ask Chiyo for some pants," She sighed at her stupidity. "How's it feel to be naked under that thing anyway?" Naruto grinned at her, folding his arms behind his head in a relaxed manner.

"It's uncomfortable, of course. I feel like if I bend down too much, my whole ass will just be hanging out," Xin paused and looked behind her at her ass. "Oi, look to see if my ass shows," She waved to Naruto, who frowned at her. She ignored the look and bent forward, touching her fingers to her toes.

"You're….really flexible…"

"Focus, Uzumaki…"

Naruto grinned sheepishly as glanced at her ass. "I can just barely see it. Yeah, you shouldn't bend over in that. Unless you want to awaken someone's lust for you," He shrugged, watching as she stretched back to her normal height.

"I've gotten enough of that."

Naruto's grin dropped and he stared at her, blankly. "What do you mean by that?" He asked slowly. Xin's eyes widened and she seemed to freeze in her spot, realizing she let something slip. Something she didn't want to bring to the demon's attention. She didn't answer, opting to not meet his gaze.

"Xin," Naruto grabbed her shoulder and forcefully turned her around to face him. "What do you mean by that?" He asked in a much slower and serious tone. It sent off warning bells in her head. "Why does it matter? I'm not your mate. You should be worrying about Hinata's safety, not mine." She reminded him, folding her arms across her chest.

Naruto's pupils slid into slits and it reminded Xin that underneath his sunny disposition, the Kyuubi lurked. Naruto may have been a sweetheart, but he was the same as Gaara. A demon. A wolf in sheep's clothing. He was just as dangerous as Gaara or Sasori if he was provoked enough.

"Because you are apart of my pack, woman," He snapped down at her, making her flinch away. That was the Kyuubi slowly slipping through Naruto's cracked mask. "Your pack? What the hell are you talking about?" Xin shot back at him, hands folded across her chest.

"Answer the question," Naruto growled, blinking hard to try to gain control of his fleeting temper. He watched as Xin sagged her shoulders. "I was raped, okay?" She mumbled softly, hoping he wouldn't hear. But of course he heard her; he was a demon, after all.

"…Does Gaara know?"

"…Yes."

"He knows and he hasn't done anything?!"

Xin almost felt like a teenager being scolded by her Father again. She didn't know why she felt like that, it's not like she had done anything wrong. It wasn't like she flaunted around the kingdom in a skimpy ass outfit, begging someone to forcefully spread her legs.

She had nothing to be guilty of. Too bad she felt guilty anyway.

"I don't want to talk about it. Just know that I'm fine, alright?" She snapped at him fiercly, glaring at nothing in particular. "But Xin…." Naruto began, glaring down at her. "Naruto, I'm _fine._ I said I don't want to talk about it so just drop it!" She found herself raising her voice at him. She hadn't meant to. She knew Naruto was just worried about her well being but she was tired of everyone thinking that she was just some weak woman. She could handle herself.

"I'll drop it. For now."

Before she could reply, they turned down the hallway to freeze in their steps. A wave of angry energy slammed into them. It overwhelmed Xin and she found herself dropping to her knees, breathless. Naruto stared down the hallway and then glanced down at the human who was struggling to breath at his feet.

"Xin, breathe! Just breathe!" He quickly came to her aid, grabbing her around the waist and hoisting her up. Another wave of energy slammed into them and Xin began to choke on seemingly nothing. He shook her, trying to get her to focus and to breathe.

Down the hall, Gaara slipped into view from wherever the hell he had been hiding. Xin didn't notice, she was busy trying to get her breathing back on check. But Naruto noticed, he noticed almost instantly. The whites of Gaara's eyes had faded into pitch black and his eyes were now the Shukaku's molten gold. Sand began to gather at the side of his face to form the face of Shukaku.

Naruto cursed and quickly let go of Xin, allowing her to slip to the floor again. "Xin! Xin, goddammit, I'm not above kicking you! Focus!" Naruto hissed down at Xin, keeping his eyes on Gaara. The miko sputtered from the ground but took a large gulp of breath, wheezing.

"What?" She hissed at him, placing her hands on the wall and pulling herself up. "Thanks for dropping me, by the way." She snapped, trying to pull herself up. "Shut up and focus, The Shukaku is trying to come through," Naruto hissed back at her, motioning to the demon down the hall.

"What? Oh my God, he's lost his mind…"

"This is serious, dammit!"

"What am I supposed to do!?"

The two were beginning to bicker, they didn't notice Gaara was coming towards them at an alarming rate. Naruto finally seemed to notice and cursed, jumping away from her. Gaara's muscles tensed and he slowly stopped, eyeing Xin dangerously. "Oh my God, he's looking at me. What do I do?"

"Walk towards him…"

"Are you_ insane_!?"

Naruto slapped his forehead in exasperation. "If you don't walk towards him, I swear I'll throw you at him! Look, you can calm him down. I know you're the reason the Shukaku's trying to claw his way up. Just go, he won't hurt you!" Naruto growled at her. Xin began to turn to Naruto to say something but stopped when Naruto shouted at her to stop. "Don't take your eyes off of him or it's all over! Keep them on him and don't look at me," Naruto ordered her, slowly backing away from the human miko.

"Jesus…give me strength…" She prayed quietly, holding her hands up in surrender and slowly walked towards him. She wanted to turn around to look at Naruto, but something told her the blond would either snap at her to not look at him…or the fucker was already gone.

She inhaled through her nose and tried to desperately calm her beating heart down. She could do this, she's done it before. She just wasn't sure why the Shukaku was having a freakish meltdown. Who had done what now?

"Uh…." Xin began nervously once she was directly in front of him. It felt like she was staring into the face of a lion. She was the prey and he was the hunter. He opened his mouth and she got a good look at all of his sharpened canines. She paled instantly and felt faint.

Xin squeaked loudly when he snatched her up by her arms. "Where did you go?" He snarled down at her, dragging her body towards him until they were chest to chest. She frowned in confusion, not knowing what to do about anything.

"Naruto took me to Chiyo's to speak with my sister," She shook her head, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. The Shukaku scowled harshly and adjusted his grip on her, tightening his hold. "I'm not sure if you noticed….but that hurts," She hissed at him, eyes motioning towards his hands.

The Shukaku growled at her and turned, dragging her down the hallway to his room. "Is this really needed? It's not like I'm gonna run off anywhere," Xin whined loudly, struggling to keep up with his quick pace.

"Hey, what happened to your neck?" Xin suddenly asked, noticing a slight bruise around Gaara's neck. "It's nothing, don't worry about it," He snapped at her harshly, pushing her into this room. Xin huffed at his rough handling and slapped his hands away.

"That's a big ass bruise. It looks like someone tried to choke you. What happened?" Xin huffed again, hands on her hips. Gaara glared at her, his golden eyes fading into his normal eye color. She watched quietly as the sand gathered on his face began to dissolve, spilling to the floor.

"My Father tried to choke me with his golden sand," Gaara shrugged indifferently. He watched as her eyebrows drew together in confusion. "He tried to choke you with his golden sand? Why the fuck did he try to do that?!" She demanded, stalking up to him to closely examine the bruise around his neck.

"Doesn't matter why he did it. My Father is an insane man," Gaara folded his arms across his chest. "Insane? Yes. But he has his reasons for everything he does, doesn't he? So, why'd he do it?" Xin pressed her fingers to his neck carefully, frowning.

"Because I didn't agree to kill you."

She paused thoughtfully, frowning. "Why didn't you agree to it?" Xin asked, tilting her head to the side. Gaara stared down at her as she ran her fingers over the bruised skin. "You're kidding, right? You're wondering why I won't kill you but you're not worried about the fact that he wants you dead?"

"Oh please. I already know he wants to kill me, I've accepted it. I want to know why you refused to kill me," Xin placed her hands on her hips and finally looked at him. She was surprised to see him staring intently at her. Clawed fingers circled her smaller wrists and then slid up her arms. "Is it not obvious why I refused?" He asked slowly, bringing his hands to her shoulders.

Xin raised her eyebrows and shook her head. He was acting strange, all of a sudden. First they were arguing, then she vanished off with Naruto for an hour or two, then Gaara freaked out and went all Shukaku on their asses, and now he was flirtatious with her with all of his touching.

"I have feelings for you, obviously."

* * *

_TeeBeMe: Well, it's short. First update of the year, what'd you think?  
_

**Xin: TeeBeMe is six months away from graduating! So exciting. **

_TeeBeMe: I'm hanging in there, I hope you guys are too! So, review! Favorite, follow...but review! I like those the most! Lets me know what you guys think! The song Xinny was singing before Sasori snapped on her was What Now? by Rihanna. _


	15. Anger and agony are better than misery

_TeeBeMe: A month later, I'm updating. This chapter is a little short but it's good enough. Hope you guys enjoy. _

**Xin: TeeBeMe does not own any of the rights to Naruto. Only the OCs.**

* * *

Xin stared in obvious shock at Gaara. Her eyes were wide and she would blink about ten times per second. She opened her mouth and then snapped it shut, resembling a caught off-fish. She was literally at a loss for words.

"Uh…." She trailed off, sounding even less then stupid. She had no idea how to react to Gaara's sudden confession. He had never been the type to admit something like that. That was obvious to anyone. He just wasn't good with words and she knew he thought having feelings were a waste of time, especially after he left her.

"….Thank you?"

Gaara stared blankly down at her, his hands still grasping her shoulders. "Really? I'm nearly choked to death for you and I admit that I have remaining feelings for you and all you have to say is _'thank you'_?" He rolled his eyes at her stupid reply, a little put off by it.

"I'm sorry but I just wasn't expecting that coming from you. I thought for sure that you didn't care after you left me and…" She began to say, only for his hand to suddenly snap up and grasp her by her chin.

He jerked her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Listen and listen well," He ordered her in a strict voice. "Had you of simply listened to me that day when I came back, things would have been different," Gaara began slowly. "I made a deal with my father to come back to the demon world so he would stop sending assassins after you. I wanted you to be safe. I was going to eventually return to you but you lost your temper before I could even explain things. You cast me away when all I wanted was for you to be safe and to be with me eventually."

Her eyes slid down in thought and her lips twisted into a concentrated frown. "So, this is my fault? All of this is my fault?" She asked quietly, not looking him in the eyes. "I never said that," He replied quickly as she snapped her eyes back up at him.

"You left me and didn't even bother to check if I was really okay. They literally beat the living shit out of me and raped me. And I hate for myself for begging to God that you, you out of all people, would come save me. The same person who left me to die, I wanted them to come save me! I begged and screamed but you didn't show up, no one did and I felt so alone."

It caught the demon completely off guard when tears brimmed the corners of her eyes and then slowly slipped down her pale cheeks. He had never, in his life, dealt with a crying female. Ever. He never witnessed his Mother shed a tear and he wasn't even sure if Temari was capable of crying.

"Listen to me, Xin." He said seriously, for once, using her name. "I will admit that I was wrong for thinking my Father would leave you alone that easily. I was wrong for not taking the time to check on you. And I know this seems nearly impossible to believe but just like you were hurt by my choices, I was hurt just as well by your reaction," Gaara began slowly, holding her eyes with his gaze.

"You will probably never hear me say this anyone, but you are the only woman I have ever cared for as deeply as I do. There will never be another one who will replace my feelings for you. And when you coldly turned me away and accused me of leaving because I had sex with you and I was finished, I felt betrayed."

"Ah…" She trailed off, swiping the tears away. How many times was he going to surprise her by saying things like that? She rolled her lips together and looked down, fidgeting nervously. "Are you saying you still love me?" Xin asked slowly and a bit nervously.

"What do you think?"

"Don't be a prick about this. Just answer the question."

"You're not making this any easier."

Xin pushed his hands away and placed her hands on her hips. "This question is not hard, Gaara. It's a yes or no question. Even a common mutt knows how to answer yes or no," She rolled her eyes impatiently.

"Are you comparing me to a common mongrel?"

Xin was grinning as he glared down at her. "Hard of hearing, are you?" She teased, cocking her hip to the side. Gaara snorted and reached forward, sinking clawed fingers into her inky blue hair. Her fingers twitched and he vaguely noticed they started to faintly glow defensively.

"You're like some sort of virus that won't go away," He mumbled quietly, gently pulling her closer. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" She purred softly, smiling faintly. "Take it anyway you like, doll," He answered, pressing his lips to her forehead.

A slight gasp had the demon pulling away from the miko. Xin glanced around his body to see a horrified Matsuri standing in the doorway. The minute the human realized it was Matsuri, her eyes flashed angrily.

Shoving Gaara aside, she dove for the demon girl. The two women tumbled to the floor, hissing and screaming. "You stupid bitch," Xin growled, brutally punching Matsuri. "Get off of me!" Matsuri hissed, digging her claws into Xin's shoulders. Blood leaked from the human's shoulders, but she ignored the burning pain and willed her hands to glow brightly.

Gaara ignored the squabble until the smell of burning flesh and the stench of thick blood invaded his nostrils. He decided to intervene then, pulling the two hissing females apart. Bloodied holes dotted Xin's shoulders while burn marks appeared around Matsuri's neck.

"It's like two cat demons fighting," He commented in a dry tone while releasing Matsuri and setting Xin beside him. "Gaara, she tried to purify me!" Matsuri shouted, pointing an offended finger in Xin's face. The human scowled harshly at her and slapped her finger away. "You keep that finger out of my fuckin' face or I'll bite that shit off."

Matsuri believe her. Now that she had been eating regularly and wasn't tortured on a daily basis, Xin was getting her strength back. And she had heard stories about the stunted girl. She was a professional fighter back in the human world. Sure, they were just rumors but that girl wasn't afraid of a damn thing, it seemed.

She was a force to be reckoned with.

"Mikos were known to purify demons…" Gaara replied with an eye roll and a lazy shrug. Although he had known Matsuri for a long time, she had a hand in Xin being here. Or, so Xin claimed. By the evil look Xin was shooting at the opposing female, it was most likely the truth.

"Gaara, why is she in here with you?" Matsuri demanded to know. She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot against the floor. Opposite of her, Xin stood with her hip cocked to the side and her hands positioned on her hips, looking somber.

"I'm in here so we can have wild, sweaty, hard makeup sex."

Matsuri visibly blanched and Gaara gave Xin a blank look. Xin raised her eyebrows and then shrugged carelessly. Matsuri sputtered stupidly and then shook her head. "She's done it again, hasn't she? Another seduction spell? Is that it? Are you under her spell again? Worry not, my lord! I'm sure someone like Chiyo-Sama can lift it. Perhaps even Baki-San!" Matsuri reached for Gaara's wrist and tugged him forward.

"Oh, no ya don't, bitch!" Xin caught Gaara by his arm and yanked him back. "Here we go again with that seduction spell bullshit! I'm a damn miko, not a fuckin' witch you fuckin' moron!" She snapped, yanking harder on his arm.

"Nonsense! How can we trust her word, my lord? She is a miko, we cannot trust them!"

"Listen to yourself, you idiot. You guys are the fuckin' demons; I'm the pure miko here!"

"Oh, please! I doubt that there's anything pure about you."

"Oh okay, the virgin wants to throw shade?"

They were pulling him into opposite directions now. And he could easily tug them both to his chest but he was pretty sure Xin would use that to rip Matsuri's tongue out of her fuckin' head. So, he discarded that idea.

"Let go of him, you lowly human."

"Fuck off, virgin."

The women held a glaring contest. "If you don't let go of him right now, I'll bite your fuckin' arm off," Xin's glare intensified and Matsuri's stare faltered slightly. "Tell this human to unhand you, Gaara…" She broke her stare to look at Gaara. Xin cocked one eyebrow in a way that clearly said: _'Yeah….right. Bitch'. _

"Did you say that she put a seduction spell on me? Is that what everyone came up with while I was gone?"

"You didn't know?"

"I've been in the fucking desert this entire time. You actually thought someone came out there daily to tell me of the idiotic gossip floating around Suna?"

"Hey, I dunno what was going on out there. I was busy getting my ass kicked."

"I never thought I would hear someone speak of being tortured so lightly."

"First time for everything, boo."

"Well, I suppose."

Matsuri looked at the two, frowning hard. How could they just leave her out of the conversation like that? She was apart of it too, dammit! Why the hell was Gaara constantly forgetting about her? She was important, dammit!

"Stop ignoring me!" She suddenly shouted over their conversation. This made the couple stop speaking, looking at her with surprised and interested looks. "It's not fair! You've known me longer, way longer before she was even a thought! But now that she came along, that's all you care about! But what about me!?" She screeched loudly, tears gushing from the corners of her eyes and slipping down her cheeks.

Xin promptly slapped the living bullshit out of her.

Gaara's eyes widened a little as his _(what the fuck could he call her right now?)_ human _(good enough for now)_ stared at Matsuri. The young demon was sniffling and nursing a red cheek. Neither demon was expecting the human to suddenly strike out like that.

"Listen to me," Xin snapped with her upper lip curled back. "You're right. You're absolutely right. You have known him longer. Way before anyone even gave a damn about me," Xin begin to say. Gaara wondered vaguely when she had moved close enough to Matsuri to slap the living shit out of her.

"And because you knew him for so long, you should have taken that to your advantage! If you wanted to tell him you loved him you should have fuckin' told him a long time ago! But now that he's found someone else, you wanna drag your feet around and hang your head low and blame everyone but yourself," Xin harshly scolded the young demon. Gaara reached forward to rest his hand on Xin's shoulder. But she shook her head and flagged him off.

"And now you think that by handing me over to the one person who wants to fuckin use my severed head as a soup bowl will make Gaara want to be with you? Don't you know that's fuckin' betrayal? Why would you wish that on a person you love? I know it hurts to see the one you love in love with someone else but _you_ let your chance pass you by. Don't ruin someone else's happiness just because you ruined your own."

The room was quiet as tears continued to rush down Matsuri's cheek. Xin held her stare with blank eyes, daring her to argue with her logic. With one loud sniff, Matsuri whirled around and fled from the room. The two adults watched her go, both frowning.

"Well, that was a bit harsh, doll."

"Yeah, well…the first love is the sweetest but the first cut is the deepest."

* * *

_Xin's P.O.V_

After I destroyed Matsuri's confidence, I decided it was a perfect time to nap. I ignored Gaara's glare as I pulled on the genie pants Temari had left in front of the door for me. Once I was dressed in the pajama-like outfit, I folded the haori I had been wearing and set it down somewhere.

"You can give me those dirty looks all you want," I tossed over my shoulder as I slowly stretched out on his bed. He continued to glare at me while I slipped under the blankets. "Why don't you go get something to eat while I sleep for a couple of minutes, okay?"

"Every time I turn my back on you, someone kidnaps your ass."

"It'll be fine. Now go. And blow out that damn candle on your way out."

Gaara grumbled in annoyance as he did what I told him. Faintly I smiled while listening to his fading footsteps. I was still a little angry with him for things that had happened but I was willing to go over everything.

Earlier, he told me that he was hurt by the choices I made. And at first, I didn't really understand. I mean, really, the fuck had I done to hurt him? I was the victim, after all. But a nagging voice in my head _(I couldn't decide whether it was Hinata, Grandmother or my_ _Mother)_ reminded me that I'm not the innocent victim and we both played a role in destroying our already fragile relationship.

I had to think long and hard but I realized the wrong I had committed. As soon as I heard that he didn't plan on coming back to me, I had snapped at him. I went as far as accusing him of being like the rest of the male population. Had I given him a chance to speak, we wouldn't be in this mess right now.

See? I could take responsibility for my actions. Either my Grandmother or my Mother had said it before; I had to stop acting so childish. I was no angel. Every time I had a problem with a person, I couldn't just blame the entire thing on them if I had a hand in it. They were right, I'm twenty-one now. I should take my part of the blame when it's dished out. No more hiding behind a child-like mentality of _'he did it!'_

Just as I was starting to drift out of la-la land and into the dream-world, something tickled my leg. I didn't think much of it, dismissing it as some stray sand that had been blown in through the window. We were in the middle of a fuckin' desert, mind you.

But the tickling became more apparent and just as I was about to throw the covers back, something tightened around my leg. With a jerk, I was pulled right out of the bed and onto the floor. Groaning loudly about my now-bruised ass, I sat up to see what the fuck was happening.

Coiled around my leg all the way up to my thigh was golden sand. "What the fu-," I was suddenly jerked again and suddenly I was literally being dragged on the floor throughout the entire manor.

I screamed the entire time, only stopping when I ungracefully slammed into the golden throne-room doors. I whined loudly as those damn doors took their time opening up. Once they were open, I was dragged into the throne-room at a slower pace.

Struggling to gain my wits, I sat up. "Really? You couldn't have just sent someone to drag my ass in here? You literally had to drag me in here?" I snapped at Shigure, standing up on wobbly legs. My thigh and leg were aching from the iron grip that the sand had on me.

Shigure stared at me blankly. "I've heard you and my idiot boy have made up," He stated with no tone of voice. "You dragged me in here for that?" I huffed, folding my arms across my chest. "No, I dragged you in here to kill you."

"….You're kidding, right?"

"Does it look like I'm kidding?"

"…..What the hell is wrong with you people? Why do you want to kill me so bad? Is him being in love with me that bad?" I asked with sheer curiosity. Seriously. We're not on some Shakespeare type of shit. This isn't fuckin' Romeo and Juliet. Why couldn't we just be together?

"Because I believe you are his last line of humanity. I spent years and years molding him into the most ruthless demon. No one was safe from him. Then, it all changed. He still willingly killed but he had gained more control over himself and his inner demon's bloodlust," Shigure began to explain.

"Honestly, I don't have time for your whole life story. I gotta get my ass back before Gaara's cranky ass figures out he was right about me being kidnapped all the time…"

"However, when I sent him to kill the humans, you got in the way. And when I ordered him to kill you, specifically…he refused. I believe that you're his reason as to why he won' follow any of my missions. So, it's simple. I kill you; he snaps and begins his killing spree once more."

I stared at him blankly and suddenly remembered his deceased wife, Karura's words. _"My son will turn into a monster much worse than his Father." _Her words echoed in my head and I sighed heavily.

"You're going to turn him into something you can't control." I began to say loud enough for him to hear. He started to say something, but I cut him off. "You can't do that to him." I shook my head and noticed the anger that light up in Shigure's dark eyes.

"He's _my_ son, I can do what I damn well please."

"He's _Karura's_ son too!"

The large room became deathly quiet as Shigure stared at me with large eyes. And then suddenly sand was rushing towards me. It slammed into my chest and wrapped around my waist, dragging me to the King.

He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. Thick black rings circled his eyes _(like_ _Gaara's rings)_ and his eyes began to shift into a dark amber color. He barred his sharp teeth at me and snarled.

"How do you know that name?" He snarled so angrily at me. Not one to back down, I glared at him. "_She_told me her name," I snapped back at him. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Insolent bitch! Do not play mind games with me or I will snap your neck! Now tell me who told you that name!"

"She did! I'm a fuckin' miko! I can come into contact with the dead! I've spoken with her twice and the second time she begged me to not let this happen! So I refuse to let you ruin her son," I shouted back at him. "I'm telling you this right now, she's aware of everything you've done since she died. And when you finally join her, you're gonna have hell to pay for what you've done. Trust me; hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Shigure stared into my eyes for a couple of minutes before I felt the grip of the sand begin to loosen around me. Slowly, I felt my bare feet touch the smooth surface of his golden stairs. His face revealed no emotions as he slowly closed his eyes, willing the black rings to fade away.

"Leave."

And I did just that. I turned my ass around and hurried out of there. Forcing myself to remember where Gaara's room was, I jogged in that direction. Gaara was going to flip out if he came back and his bed was empty. Especially since he said every time he left me alone, I seemed to get kidnapped.

Just as I was opening his door to walk in, I slammed into his chest. His face was blank but I could see an enraged fire dancing in his usually calm eyes. Laughing, I smiled nervously at him. "So, should I bother with coming up with some elaborate lie or do you want to know the truth?"

"Truth."

_Oh damn._"Your dad wanted to talk to me." I answered truthfully. Gaara stepped out of the way to allow me into his room. I quickly went to his bed and snuggled under the warm blankets, watching as he followed after me. "He didn't try to kill you?"

"He was going to. But then I pulled out my secret weapon and bam, he loves me now."

"Yeah, like I'd ever believe that."

"Okay, okay. So he doesn't love me but I think he'll leave me alone."

"What did you do?"

"I'll tell you some other time."

* * *

"Oh, c'mon! You have to let me do this!"

The very next day I was sitting at the edge of the hot spring with my legs dipped in. Gaara was sitting in the water in the space between my legs, resting his head against my lower stomach. My fingers were plunged into his sopping wet hair.

"I said no."

"I'm going to do it either way."

He leaned up to stare at me with annoyance. "The last time you were around Sasori, I don't even know what the hell he was tryin to do. Molest you while ripping your hair out? You want him to rip your hair out again? I thought you loved your hair too much."

"Of course I love my hair. It's beautiful. Have you seen how luscious it can be? My hair is like sex," I huffed and rolled my eyes. "I know what happened the last time I was around him. But I have to know why he's been acting so strange! It's driving me insane!"

"You are insane."

"Shut up before I drown you."

Gaara glared at me but I only ignored him. "Stay away from Sasori. I can't believe you'd be willing to go near him after all the agony he's caused you," Gaara scolded, which pissed me off a little bit. It wasn't like he wasn't any different from Sasori. Okay, so he didn't slap me around or anything like that but he left me in pieces.

"Anger and agony are better than misery."

He shot me a look that clearly told me to shut the hell up. I smiled innocently and then shrugged my shoulders. "I'm going to do it, eventually. Before we leave…..when are we leaving anyway? No offense but I'm tired of all this goddamn sand. And why the fuck is your village so windy? This shit is fuckin' up my hair and every time, literally every time, I open a goddamn window I get a face and mouthful of sand!"

Gaara rolled his eyes and turned around. "We're going to Konoha before we return to your world," He told me, running his fingers down the length of my leg. "Are we? Please tell me Konoha isn't as windy as Suna…." I grumbled in annoyance. "Of course not. Konoha is located in the Fire Country while this is the Wind Country," He explained to me, resting his face on my knee.

"Fire Country? That means it's hotter than Satan's toenails, right?" I asked with a dry voice. "You're too picky for your own good, woman. Your parents have spoiled you rotten," Gaara pointed out, looking up at me through a lazy haze.

"What are you going to do about it?"

I barely noticed his evil smirk before his arms snapped around my waist. "Wait, Gaara. I still have my towel on. This is the only towel I have right now!" I began to shriek. His grip tightened around me and I felt myself being yanked off of the ledge and into the hot water.

Fuckin' prick.

* * *

Gaara eyed me as I calmly brushed his brush through my slightly wet hair. Kankuro leaned on the frame of the door, glancing at the both of us. "Staring is rude," I huffed while braiding a thick lock of my hair.

"I get the feeling you two are disagreeing about something," Kankuro folded his arms across his chest with a frown. "What gave you that idea?" I hummed sweetly, flipping my now knot-free hair over my pale shoulder. "I don't know, that evil ass look Gaara is giving you?" Kankuro chuckled at my sweet expression.

"He's just a sour puss," I waved my hand with a grin. "What brings you here today?" I finally turned around to face Kankuro. "Information for Gaara," He pointed at his younger brother. "Information? What type of information?" I held my hands behind my back and leaned forward at my waist.

Kankuro glanced at Gaara. The redhead sighed and shook his head. "Classified, doll." He told me while folding his arms across his chest. "Classified? You're kidding me, right?" I huffed, straightening up. "No, we're not. Now be a good little doll and stay here while I go take care of something."

"Mm….you're leaving me alone?"

"For the time being."

I could only smile widely. Gaara stared down at my smiling face. "Stay your ass in this room," He ordered me with a serious face. "Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure," I kept my hands behind my back and crossed my fingers. "I'm being serious, Xin. Stay in this room. Don't go looking for trouble," He placed his hand of my head, weaving his fingers through my hair.

"Me? Trouble? Never that…."

* * *

I waited ten minutes after Gaara left with Kankuro before leaving the room. "Honestly, you'd think he'd know me by now…" I chuckled, folding my arms behind my back leisurely. Concentrating on the energies around me, I pinpointed one energy and zoned in on it.

I moved quickly, waltzing towards it. I knocked on the door with a wide smile and waited until I heard someone grunt out an aggravated _'what?'. _Slamming the door open, I called out to him. "Sasori!"

"What the hell are you doing here….?"

I leaned my hip into the doorframe and eyed him with my arms folded across my chest. "I have some questions…" I snapped the door closed behind me with a forced smile. "Where's the Prince? Does he even know you're here?" Sasori eyed me. "He has an idea…." I trailed off, tapping my fingers against my arm.

Sasori glared at me from his bed. "Your questions, miko." He reminded me sourly. "Oh! Yeah," I clapped my hands together, remembering that I was here for a reason. I was going to ask my questions, get my answers and then haul ass back to Gaara's room and feign innocence.

"Well, you remember when you tried to rip my hair out of my scalp?"

"Yes, it was two or three days ago, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I think so. My scalp still hurts, by the way…"

"Your question…"

I twisted my fingers in the fabric of my pants, kind of nervous. "Are you attracted to me in some sort of weird way?" I blurted out and then slapped my forehead. Man, that sounded way different in my head. "What gave you that idea?" He asked after a minute went by. I quirked my eyebrow and stuck out my hip with my hand placed on it. "What gave me that idea? You, ya fuckin' psychopath!" I snapped at him, pointing at him with a twist of my lips. Sasori feigned innocence and shrugged. "I'm telling you, song bird, I have no idea what you mean…"

"Bullshit" I hissed at him. "I'm not crazy, you started snapping and asked if you weren't good enough for me, comparing yourself to Gaara." I accused him viciously. I was thrown off guard when he jumped up and backed me into the door, snapping his hands to the wall on either side of my head.

"And if your assumptions are correct, then what?" He growled in my face, trapping me beneath me. Instantly, my face became serious. "I'm warning you. Step back," I instructed in the most serious tone I could muster. A smirk overtook his face and leaned closer, nuzzling my face. "And if I don't?"

I didn't say anything. Instead I tapped into my spiritual energy, pulling at it until it burst out of me. It slammed into Sasori's body and he was forced to move backwards. He watched quietly as a purple barrier formed itself around me.

"I see you've regained your strength."

"Yeah, well…Gaara hasn't been torturing, starving and raping me."

"They were orders. Nothing more and nothing less."

I eyed him suspiciously and titled my head to the side. "So, if Shigure hadn't ordered you to torture me…..you wouldn't have?" I asked slowly. Sasori looked away from me, which confused me. He was so strange.

"_You're sick of feeling numb  
__You're not the only one  
__I'll take you by the hand  
__And I'll show you a world  
__That you can understand  
__This life is filled with hurt  
__When happiness doesn't work  
__Trust me and take my hand  
__When the lights go out you'll understand."_

I suddenly felt bad for Sasori. He seemed so lonely and numb from everything. I'm not justifying everything he's done because he's done some fucked up shit. I knew that deep down; he buried his attraction to me in order to carry out his missions.

Sasori glanced up at me and his eyes focused on the jagged scar that ran over my once smooth stomach. He reached out towards me to touch the scar but my barrier halted his movements. I eyed him carefully, pressing my back further into the wall despite the barrier that currently protected me.

"Keep your distance, Sasori."

Sasori glared at me. "Coming here was useless, song bird. Whether or not you know of what I think of you, it won't change anything. You're weary of me and you're more comfortable behind a protective shield. You've wasted your time."

Staring at him, I folded my arms across my chest. "You _liiiiiike_ me, don't you?" I let out a wicked laugh while he shot me a nasty glare. I leaned closer to him with a smirk and didn't bother to push my hair back over my shoulder.

"You're an odd woman. Are you a masochist?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You obviously go looking for trouble and pain."

"After feeling numb for so long, you learn to grasp onto any other feeling. Even if it's pain."

"What do you have to be numb about? A spoiled Princess like yourself?"

My eyebrows narrowed and twitched. That's exactly what I hated about people and their assumptions about the wealthy. Sure, I knew that the wealthy could be assholes. Hell, my entire family was full of conceited assholes. But that didn't mean we didn't have our own inner struggles. Everyone had their inner demons to work past. The wealthy were no different. I was no different.

I shrugged quietly, dropping my smirk. "Did I upset the Princess?" He shot a smirk at me and I found myself scowling harshly at him. "I came for answers and I got them," I replied stiffly, ignoring his snarky jab.

Whipping around, I faced the door. "I'm leaving Suna and then the demon-realm soon," I don't know why I felt like telling him that. "Whatever you feel, bury it down and forget about it," I slowly opened the door. "I know you'll thank me later."

I closed the door behind me softly.

* * *

Xin grunted under Gaara's weight, gritting her teeth. He glared down at her, straddling her and pinning her at the same time. She had come in moments ago, only to be caught by Gaara and thrown carelessly to the bed.

She blew a strand of her hair out of her hair and cursed silently to herself. She had been expecting him to take much longer with his classified information. Clearly, whatever the fuck he had to do was handled swiftly and he had come back to an empty room.

"I specifically told you to stay your ass in this room," He snapped down at her. She smiled weakly up at her. "Uh, I was at the bathroom…..." She trailed off lamely, her weak smile twitching nervously. "I can smell Sasori's scent. Did he touch you again?" Gaara asked her, ignoring her half-assed lie about using the bathroom. "What? No! I told you I just had questions for him. That's it," Xin huffed, placing her hands firmly on his chest. She began to push him away only to pause.

She seemed thoughtful but she ran her hands up his chest and to his shoulders. She curled her fingers around his shoulders and coaxed him to lean down closer. "Hey," She mumbled softly, his lips inches away from her. "Promise you won't leave me again?"

Her eyes were hopefully large and he vaguely noticed her biting her bottom lip nervously. Gaara felt something tug at his stomach and he felt a little sick. Did she still not trust his word?

"Promise."

* * *

"Are you comfortable? You got enough water? Is your cloak covering you? Let me see if your hood can cover your face…"

With a blank expression, Xin allowed Naruto to buzz around her. Her checked the bottle of water and then readjusted her cloak. A moment later, he was pulling the hood over her face to see if it covered her face. Sakura smiled at the sight, Sasuke folded his arms and Gaara ignored the two and spoke with his siblings. "It's like he's her older brother or something," Sakura giggled with a bright smile. "He looks like an idiot," Sasuke rolled his eyes at the sight.

"Naruto, I'm fine!" Xin insisted, waving his hands away. "I'm not made of glass. What's the worst that can happen while traveling to Konoha? A fuckin' sand tornado sweeps me off my feet and takes me to Munchkin Land?"

"What the hell is Munchkin Land?"

"Oh, forget it. A human reference."

Naruto shrugged it off and sighed. "You're already bruised and scarred up. Hinata is going to freak when we finally get you to her," He sighed again, thinking of the horrified expression that's bound to mar her usually peaceful face. "It's fine, I'm a boxer. She's used to this," Xin waved her hand in front of her face dismissively.

"Anyway, are we ready to go?" Sasuke asked over everyone's voice. Gaara turned from Temari and Kankuro to glare at the Uchiha. "I have to say bye to Temari and Kankuro," Xin announced, moving from Naruto's watchful eyes to the Sand siblings.

She clapped her hands together and then smiled nervously. "I just wanna let you guys know that I am forever grateful to you guys. Pretty sure I would have been long gone if you guys hadn't stepped in and helped me out. I swear on the Hyuuga's name that I will repay you guys back, somehow. That's a promise."

Kankuro chuckled and roughly patted her shoulder. "You're family now! It's our job to protect our little sister," He grinned down at her. "Nonsense! We helped you out because we wanted to see you safe. You're important to Gaara so you're important to us," Temari told her with a smile.

A few more words were spoken before it time to leave. It would take two days and one night to reach Konoha but for the most part of the trip, Xin would be carried. Although she insisted that she could walk just fine, Sasuke pointed out that she would only slow them down.

For the first day's travel, Xin was carried on Naruto's back while Gaara led the small group through the vast desert. Xin huffed and puffed into Naruto's back, her hood pulled over her head to shield her face from the vicious sand. _"Oh my God, this is boring,"_ She thought sourly, tightening her grip around Naruto's neck. The sun was burning her exposed legs and arms but she ignored it, knowing that she was much better off not complaining.

Hours flew by as the demons darted through the desert. By the time they reached the boarder between Suna and Konoha, Xin had managed to fall asleep. As Sasuke and Gaara scouted the area, Sakura coaxed the sleeping human off of Naruto's back.

"Bet it feels great now that she's in plain sight," Sakura smiled, laying Xin's head in her lap. "Feels way better. Bet it's a load off of Gaara, too. I'm in love with her sister so I look at Xin like a sister. Just like Gaara expects me to keep both his mate and mine safe, I expect the same from him."

Sakura could only smile but in the distance, she heard Gaara and Sasuke bickering about something. "Now, if only those two could get along…." She trailed off as the bickering came closer and closer. Xin groaned and turned on her side, pulling her hood tighter over her face. "My God, Mom, make Hanabi shut the fuck up before I lock her in the dryer again," She whined from the darkness of her hood.

"Who's Hanabi?" Sasuke jumped down from the trees above them. "The youngest Hyuuga sister," Naruto replied as Gaara came flying down as well, landing in a crouch over Xin. "There's more of them?" Sasuke sourly asked as Xin sat up with a sigh.

"Fuck off, Sasuke," She mumbled from the darkness of her hood. Naruto and Sakura stood and moved towards Sasuke with knowing smiles. "Hi," Xin mumbled tiredly as Gaara reached up and pulled her hood back. "Doing okay, doll?" He asked as Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto openly stared at them.

"I guess. I feel a little tired," She shrugged and brushed her fingers through her hair. "Are we in Konoha yet?" She yawned while covering her mouth. "We're in Konoha's territory. We'll be there by tomorrow afternoon," He informed her. He watched as she suddenly smiled softly. "I'm gonna see my sister soon…"

Gaara chuckled quietly and leaned forward. Sakura wrapped her arms around Sasuke's arm and smiled widely with a slight blush to her face. "They're so adorable," She gushed quietly to the silent Uchiha. "He doesn't even care, Sakura…" Naruto pointed out blankly.

Gaara ignored the three and kissed Xin's forehead softly.

* * *

"Oh my God, why is it so fuckin' hot!?"

Gaara glared down at Xin as he stopped in front of Konoha's gates. "First Suna is too windy for you and now Konoha is too hot for you?" Gaara rolled his eyes and slowly let her down to stand on her own feet. "Too hot? Feels fine to me," Sakura pleasantly said as she appeared with Naruto and Sasuke in tow.

"Of course you would, you grew up here," Xin mumbled as she followed behind them. As she walked through the village with the four demons, she noticed a lot of strange looks being directed towards them. "What's everyone staring at?" She asked quietly, knowing full-well that the demonic villagers could hear her. "Konoha doesn't get a lot of midget women dressed up as genies and covered in bruises," Naruto grinned with his arms up behind his head.

"I'm not a midget, dammit!" She snapped, pinching his side. "Don't do that!" Naruto swatted her hand away. "Then don't call me a midget," She huffed in return, hands on her hips. "It's the truth!" Naruto insisted while giving her a dirty look for pinching him.

"Would you two shut up?"

"God, Sasuke is such an ass…"

"Who're you telling? I've been dealing with him for years…"

The two were ignored as they made their way to the home of Minato and Kushina. Xin tried her best to ignore all the stares but gave up and decided to pull her hood back over her head. These people were making her feel like some circus freak. Didn't they know it was rude to stare?

"…Hey, Naruto?"

"Hm, Xin?"

"Is your family like royalty or something?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Oh….I dunno'…maybe because your house is freakin' village all on its own!?"

Naruto grinned as the human gawked at his home. He never thought much of his parent's home but Xin seemed to think a lot of it. "It looks like your Grandmother's house," He pointed out. Xin frowned with hands on her hips. "You think so?"

Naruto's grin remained as he pulled her inside. She followed after the demons down several different hallways before they came to the main sitting room. "Are your bruises still bothering you?" Gaara asked before they entered. "Mm? A little. Why?" Xin asked with a frowned. Gaara only sighed and shot a look at Naruto.

Naruto snapped the door open to reveal Minato leaning over an old scroll at the front of the room while Kushina was off to the side, playing with Hinata's hair. The three occupants turned to the door to see Naruto first, then Sakura and Sasuke, then Gaara and finally….Xin.

"She's alive!" Kushina exclaimed first, jumping up to hurry over to the small woman. "Wait, Mom! Don't crush her with those death traps you call hugs! Her bruises still bother her," Naruto alerted her redheaded Mother, who stopped to get a good look at Xin.

The cloak hid her body but she could see some bruises on her neck. "Oh," Kushina pouted and slowly approached Xin, gathering her up in a small hug. "I'm glad to see you're alive. Come greet your sister…" She trailed off and led Xin over to Hinata, who had slowly stood up.

"Xin…"

"Hi Hinata!"

Hinata only shook her head and threw her arms around Xin. "You're so stupid! I was worried about you. I told you Naruto and I should have stayed at your apartment with you. This could have been avoided but you wanted to be all stubborn! Now look at you," Hinata instantly began sobbing as Xin weakly smiled.

"It's okay. I'm alive."

* * *

_Naruto's P.O.V_

Once Hinata managed to stop crying, my Mom dragged the twins and Sakura off to the baths. I pouted violently once I realized Mom had stolen Hinata away from me before I could even kiss of hug her. Goddamn my sneaky Mother.

But, now that Xin was gone, I had a question for Gaara that's been bugging me a lot. "You're aware of everything that happened to Xin while she was imprisoned, right?" I asked my redheaded best friend. He seemed confused by my sudden question because he frowned really hard.

"She has told me bits and pieces of it. She doesn't talk about it much," He answered with a blank look. Sasuke and my Dad watched us quietly, wondering where I was taking this too. "She told me you know that she's been raped…"

Gaara's eyes narrowed.

"And you know but you've done nothing about it…"

His fingers drew up into fists.

"Naruto…." Dad began to say but I only ignored him. "Who says I've done nothing?" Gaara suddenly asked coolly. My blond eyebrows rose up and I titled my head to the side. "You took care of it?" I asked in question. It must have been recent and Xin was probably unaware of it.

"I found the two guards who touched her."

"Are they dead?"

"No."

"You let them live…?"

"I guarantee they wish they were dead."

Sasuke leaned forward a little bit. "What did you do to them?" His eyes had this weird gleam in them. I'm guessing he was thinking of what he would have done had someone dared to raped Sakura. Not that someone could rape her…who the fuck was strong enough to hold Sakura down?

But all male demons were the same. Fiercly protective and territorial. I'm surprised Gaara didn't tear down the manor's walls once he found out about the rape. I couldn't even imagine what I would do if I found out someone had touched Hinata while I was gone and she wasn't able to defend herself.

"Perhaps someone has found them by now, perhaps not. I pinned them to a wall with kunai knife, practiced my aim on them a little bit and then sliced open their stomach and let their entrails leak onto the floor. But that was days ago, who knows if they're still alive?"

Sometimes I forget just how brutal Gaara could be. But I didn't blame them. I felt an odd satisfaction settle in my stomach. Although Xin whined like hell, pinched and hit me a lot and had a filthy mouth, I loved her like the sister I never had. And knowing that some justice has been done on her account made me rest easier.

Dad chuckled and shook his head. "Kids…."

* * *

She could feel them staring. Staring at her, staring at it. She frowned in slight depression and brushed her fingers along the ruined skin, feeling the scar. She started at the top of it and ran her fingers all the way down to the end at her hip.

"Sasori's handiwork." She sighed heavily to the other females. "I know it's stitched up sloppily but it was either a botched job or bleed to death. I'm only twenty-one…so you know…living is nice…" Xin's attempt to joke fell on somber ears as the three women looked her over sadly.

"Xin, I'm sorry…" Sakura began to say. She was a healer after all. She could have prevented the little human to be scarred up. If only she had been there for her, she wouldn't have that scar. "Sorry for what?" Xin asked, her voice rising to a different pitch. "It's not like you wished any of this on me. And what's with those looks? Are you pitying me? For what? I'm just fine! The worst is over, isn't it? I got through it just fine so I wish you guys would just stop it!" She suddenly snapped, her eyes flashing.

"Xin, we aren't pitying you…" Kushina began to say. "Then stop looking at me like that," Xin sank down until the water was covering her mouth. Hinata carefully scooted over to her bruised mirror image. Slowly, she crept an arm around Xin's shoulders.

"Like Kushina-Sama said, we are not pitying you," Hinata began softly. "We're just worried about you and we're glad you're back safely with us. You've been gone since the beginning of January….it's almost the end of March in the human world. We're just glad you're alive," Hinata rubbed soothing circles.

"End of…March!? Are you serious?" Xin openly gaped with a surprised expression. "Oh my God, my apartment is probably falling apart!" She started to panic, thinking of all the dust and filth that's probably gathered since she's been gone. Oh God….her beautiful apartment.

"Don't worry, Neji and Tenten promised they would watch over it until you got back," Hinata let out a chuckle. It was good that her sister hadn't changed her quirky attitude and habits. "Jerry and the boys are probably freaking…..Oh my God; Lee is going to have a youthful fit when I come back. And I bet Mom lost her mind and probably put a search warrant out. Holy shit, everything is gonna be crazy when we go back. When're we going back?"

"In a week or two, maybe. Naruto suggested you stay here in Konoha as a sort of vacation. You're safe here," Sakura suggested. "Yes, and we're going to take care of those bruises and cut your hair evenly. It's terribly uneven," Kushina pointed out. Xin frowned and distastefully pinched a lock of her hair between her fingers.

Enough of all the grief, she's with friends now.

* * *

"My, they're adorable!"

"Aw, look….she's blushing! How cute."

Hinata and Xin blushed as the guests gushed over them. Two days after returning, Kushina had arranged a gathering at the Uzumaki manor. Xin was almost sure the whole damn village was here.

A blond girl with a long bang over her eye and dressed a purple outfit _(slutty ass outfit, Xin remembered thinking) _smiled at them. "Hi, my name is Ino," She introduced herself over the loud chattering. Xin and Hinata glanced at one another and then shot the blond an identical smile. "I'm Xin and this is Hinata."

"Come on, come meet everyone else," Ino grabbed their wrists and dragged them all over the room. They met the Inuzaku siblings, Kiba and Hana, Kiba's longtime teammate, Shino. Then there was Chouji, who was best friends with Ino and Shikamaru _(who_ _showed up),_ following after them was a pale demon, Sai. Following up was an odd trio, Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo. And then there was some huge guy who kept speaking in raps named Bee _(he was a good friend visiting from Kumo, wherever the_ _fuck_ _that was)_ and with him was a redheaded girl, Karui, a white haired guy named Omoi and a big-breasted woman _(Jesus, she must have back-pains)_ Samui.

There were more, including everyone's parents….but that was just too much to remember. Xin and Hinata remained friendly, giving everyone sweet smiles and speaking with them before moving on to the next person.

"I think that dog-boy likes you," Xin snorted as she hid the bottom half of her face behind an oriental fan Kushina had given her. "Everyone likes us," Hinata pointed out with a frown. "No, stupid. I mean, likes you like how Naruto likes you," Xin rolled her eyes at her sister's innocent nature.

"You think so…?"

"Yeah…Naruto isn't gonna like that…"

"Like what…?"

Both girls squealed and whipped around to face Naruto and Gaara. "Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on people?" Xin scolded, snapping her fan shut and smacking Naruto with it. "Stop hitting me with that. Gaara, get your human!" Naruto growled, shoving Xin towards him.

Xin huffed from Gaara's arm and shot a glare at Naruto. "If you must know….I think Kiba has a little crush on Hinata," Xin hummed pleasantly and sipped a little of the sake from Gaara's bottle. "Crush?" Naruto glanced over to Kiba and caught the dog demon staring at Hinata. "Oh, hell no." He grumbled, wrapping an arm around Hinata. "Dogs and foxes never get along," Xin chuckled while Hinata violently blushed.

"Shut up, Xin."

"Fuck off, fox-face."

"You guys…."

"Crazy ass miko."

"Demon-shit."

"Seriously, the guests are looking."

"Just let it happen, Hinata. It's been a long time since they could bicker like this."

As the duo bickered and their partners blankly watched, they didn't notice a figure shrouded in the dark, perched outside of the window. Bright orange eyes stared into the lively room, eyes focused on the arguing miko. A wide feral grin spread across the person's face.

And then, he was gone.

* * *

_TeeBeMe: I decided to end it on a happy note. I can be sweet to Xin, sometimes. Seems like everything is going to be fine from now on, right? Hmm…sure. But you know, review, feedback is our friend, remember? I also have about three more stories coming in the near future, so keep a look out, okay?!_

**Xin: Review! Let us know how you feel about the story! It's getting closer to the end. Maybe. Tee isn't sure. She's so indecisive. The song I was singing in my head when I spoke with Sasori is Pain by Three Days Grace. **


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